


Maas University

by hermajestymanon



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: ACoTaR AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, F/M, M/M, Throne of Glass AU, Yes they do, a bunch of kids learn how life really is, acotar next generation, do they suffer, just FYI, throne of glass next generation, yall this is a NEXT GEN story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-14 00:18:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 120,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11196498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermajestymanon/pseuds/hermajestymanon
Summary: Notes found at the bottom :)





	1. Chapter 1

Students littered across the campus of Maas University. Cassian had to slow to a stop twelve times before getting to his parking space. Peering out the windshield, Cassian gazed at the set of brick buildings. Memories of the best kind poured into him: meeting Nesta, his friends, his family. People he hadn’t seen in years.

He squeezed his wife’s hand before he turned the ignition off and peered over the seat at his children. Aysel still slept, her military jacket thrown over her, covering her ripped jeans and  _Halestorm_ band tee, her headphones still in her ears. Bay too had headphones in, his eyes trained on the book resting in his lap. “We’re here guys.”

Looking up from his book, Bay pulled down his headphones and looked out the window, his hazel green eyes filled with a quiet nervousness as he watched the students. He turned to shake Aysel awake. “Ays.”

Kohl lined blue-grey eyes fluttering open, Aysel pulled her headphones from her ears, music still blasting from them and looked out the window. Face lighting up, she shoved off her jacket and barreled out of the car, shouting, “I have arrived, bitch _es_!”

Glancing at him with raised brows, Cassian snorted at Bay and shook his head. Looking to his wife, Nesta watched their daughter, her face the picture of calm, though her blue-grey eyes betrayed her sadness. And worry.

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Bay reached over the seats and kissed her cheek. “She’ll be okay, Nesta. I’ll keep an eye on her.” She smiled faintly at him before getting out too.

Getting out of the car, Cassian looked for his daughter. He found her already weaving through the crowd and far up ahead of them, her plum hair a beacon in a sea of teenagers.

He leaned across the hood and smiled at his wife, “Nes, you’re her third period teacher. You’ll see her every  _day_.”

Nesta sighed faintly before glaring at him. He grinned at her, “Divide and conquer?”

She nodded, “I’ll go with Bay, you go after her.”

* * *

Cassian ran after his daughter, who had somehow made it to her dorm before him. He found her leaning against the doorframe, her headphones still around her neck. “Dad, Dad,  _Dad_!” She nearly bounced, Cassian was only thirty percent sure she was caffeinated.

“What, what,  _what_?”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re getting slow, old man. Gimme my keys.”

Fishing them out of his pocket, Cassian threw them to her. Fumbling through them, she found the red tagged key and slid it into the door, opening it. Inside sat a girl with a blue and gold eyes and tawny skin and dark wavy hair and a cherry red leather jacket, a graphic tee of a lioness and black jeans and converse, with gold dripping earrings trailing down her right ear.

Standing from her bed, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, showing a tattoo across her collarbone, and gave them a wolfish smile. Her voice was a forced brightness with an undercurrent of dread. “I’m Artemis. Genderfluid and all around amazing and your roommate for the next four years.”

“Gender fluid?” Aysel asked. He shot her a warning look, which she ignored.

Artemis turned her- his? - eyes to her, assessing and daring and intense. “Sometimes I am a girl and sometimes I am a boy. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” Aysel returned with her own savage grin. “I’m Autistic and loud and barely have a filter. Do you have a problem with  _that_?”

The relief to Artemis’s shoulders was almost imperceptible. “None whatsoever.”

“Good,” Aysel said, strutting into the room, flopping down on her unclothed bed. She tilted her head, her plum hair falling to the middle of her back “You a boy or girl right now?” He refrained from groaning at his daughter, instead he cast Artemis an assessing eye, to see where this loud teenager would go with Aysel’s blunt question.

Artemis laughed, “I’m a girl right now.” The tension in his chest evaporated. She turned her eyes to him, raking him up and down, “And who are  _you_?”    

“I’m her dad,” Cassian grinned.

“Yeah you are,” she smiled. “Are you single, Roommate’s Dad?”

“Afraid not, Kid,” Cassian laughed, holding up his hand, showing his wedding band. She pouted and he turned to Aysel, “I’ll go bring up your stuff. Why don’t you and Artemis get better acquainted.”

As Cassian turned to leave, he heard Artemis say, “Your Dad is  _hot_.” Followed by his daughter’s loud, “ _EW_!”

 He chuckled on his way to the car.

* * *

Nesta walked in pace with her son. She could sense his nervousness as his eyes darted around them. She stepped closer to him, offering a bit of familiarity in a sea of new people and experiences. She caught him twisting his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Relax,” she said under her breath.

“I’m fine.”

She sighed through her nose and tried again. “Your father and I met here. I was in my first year; he in his second.” They walked up the steps and through the doors of the male dormitories and past a few ogling teenage boys. “He was a law student, I was getting my degree in teaching.”

 His lips quirked up, his eyes darting around them. “And you lived happily ever after, right?”

She snorted delicately. “Eventually.” They stopped in front of the dorm and she smoothed down the skirt of her dress before turning to her son. “You’ll be okay. You and Ash have been friends for years.”

He looked up at her with an arched brow, digging a set of keys from his pocket and sliding the third key into the door. “There’s a difference between hanging out with your best friend and living with him.” He pushed open the door, showing three beds; Ash was laying on his with ankles crossed, a lazy grin plastered on his face.

 “Took you long enough.”

Bay turned to her, “The next four years are going to be  _hell_.”

She couldn’t disagree. Instead she stepped forward and put her hands on her hips, “Go help your parents bring in your belongings.” She gave him a firm look when he groaned. “Now, Ashton.”

Ash got to his feet, glaring at her. “Fine,  _fine_.” He pushed past her and grinned at him on his way out. She could hear him muttering, “Calling me  _Ashton_ -“

She sat on her nephew’s bed and motioned for Bay to sit. When he did, she leaned towards him, “College is a time to… experiment and try new things. Reinvent yourself.” His ears flushed red and he looked away. “A person learns a lot about themselves when they are given the freedom they never had in high school.” She gripped his hand and squeezed it and changed the topic when his face closed off. “Did you remember to buy a lockbox for your meds?”

He blew his bangs out of his eyes and sighed. “ _Yes_.”

She smiled faintly and stood. She could hear Elain’s voice coming, followed by Lucien and Ash. She patted her son’s shoulder before her sister came into the room. “Karis isn’t here. You can have a fresh start.” Memories of being called to the school, taking her son out of detention for fighting, her son’s bruised face, eyes bright with anger, flashed in her mind. “If you or your sister have a problem with someone, come to me or the dean, Amren. Do not take it upon yourself.” Bay’s jaw clenched, shadows passing his eyes. “There are all kinds of strengths, Bay. College is the time to see which ones you have.”

* * *

The campus coffee shop,  _Rita’s_ , was filled with students and parents, their voices nearly drowning out the soft rock playing over the speakers. Taking a step forward, Aedion’s fingers thrummed against his biceps. He was next in line.

Stepping up to the counter, a kid of about eighteen rested the palms of his inked hands on the flat surface and looked at him, grinning, his long black hair in a ponytail high up, showing a tattoo on the side of his neck- a bat wing- and a piercing in the cartilage in his right ear and a lip ring.  Aedion read his name tag.  _Nate_.

The kid gave him an appreciative look over and bit his lip. “What can I get you, Handsome?” Aedion rose a brow and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. Nate clicked his tongue at Aedion’s ring and shook his head, “Of course, you’re not single. Just my luck.”

Aedion laughed and said, “One Java Chip Frappuccino, one Coffee Frappuccino and one black coffee.”

“Size?” Nate asked, moving to the stacks of clear cups.

“All Venti.”

Plucking three cups from one of the stacks, Nate moved to the register, rung it up and told him the price. Pulling the permanent marker from his ear, he asked, “What’s your name?”

Handing him the money, Aedion grinned. “What is ‘Handsome’ not specific enough?”

The kid’s mouth quirked to the side, his dark brown eyes lit with amusement. “Nah, management throws a fit if I give all the hot men pet names.”

He snorted. “Aedion Ashryver.”

Nate scrawled the name on the cups and said, “I’ll have these for you in a moment.  _Aedion_.”

Aedion shook his head and went to wait in his seat.

* * *

 

Leaning back in her chair, Lysandra scrolled through her phone, refraining from laughing herself hoarse. She had heard the young man hitting on her husband; it had been one of the most amusing things she had ever witnessed. She looked up from her phone to see Aedion sit across from her, popping out the collar of his jacket. “I still got it.”

She snorted and leaned in. “Someone has a big head.”

He kissed her. “Worried I might run away with him?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Should I be, General?”

He brushed a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear and smiled. “Never.”

Putting a hand on her husband’s forearm, Lysandra blinked back tears. “I didn’t think we would get here; that our baby would make it to college.” Years of bullying and transferring schools because of Aedion’s work made it difficult for Artemis. The memory of finding their child and a bottle of pills started to form in her mind; Lysandra shut it down. “Artemis made it, Aedion. Our baby made it.”

Eyes softening, Aedion squeezed her hand. “Thanks to a great mother and sister.”

 Lysandra sniffled. “You aren’t such a bad parent, yourself.”

“Aedion,” a voice sounded. Their drinks were ready.

With a final squeeze, she and Aedion pushed out their chairs; her husband went to get their drinks and she waited by the exit. Coming back, Aedion slid her her drink and took her hand with free one, lacing their fingers.

* * *

As Lyria plopped down on Rhoe’s bed, her silver hair bouncing on her back, Rowan sat the box beside her and looked out the window to see his silver haired son coming into the building. Followed by Sam.

Glancing at Aelin, his wife had come up ahead of them, she had her arms crossed, looking out the window, her face unreadable. Guiding her chin to face him, Aelin looked up at him. Rowan rubbed her arm, “He’ll be okay, Fireheart. I have him in class and his brother and sister will keep him out of trouble.” His mouth quirked to the side, “Well,  _Sam_  will keep him out of trouble.” For a seventeen-year-old deaf-mute, Rhoe had a penchant for getting in and out of trouble.

He heard Lyria snort from where he was. “ _Rude_.”

Aelin sniffed and rested her forehead against his chest. “I know that, you Buzzard. He’s our  _baby_ , though.”

“I’m guessing you are my roommate’s parents?” a voice drawled.

Rowan turned around to see a tawny teenage boy leaning against the doorframe in a black button down shirt and dark jeans and expensive sneakers. He had midnight black hair and violet eyes that held a hint of mischief, a smirk resting on his lips.

A low whistle came from his daughter, “ _Damn_.”

The boy looked at her and rose an eyebrow, his eyes sweeping Lyria. “Not so bad yourself, too bad you’re not my type.” Aelin snorted and Rowan crossed his arms, frowning.

Eyes lighting with amusement, Lyria grinned at him. “And who  _is_  your type?”

Before he could answer, Rhoe came up behind him, Sam trailing him. Sam cleared his throat and the boy moved, letting Rowan’s sons come in with boxes.

Rhoe sat his box next to Rowan’s and brushed his bangs out of his face and looked at his roommate, studying him. His lips quirking to the side, Rhoe pointed at him before having each index finger slowly circle each other, asking:  _Do you sign?_

They all looked to the boy- Rowan wasn’t sure he was breathing- who’s brows inched together and he slowly brought his curved hand to his forehead before making a motion that looked like flipping a coin with his thumb _: I know a little._

 Studying him with an intensity, Rhoe’s gold rimmed turquoise eyes slid to Sam and signed:  _Will you ask him if he wants to learn?_

Aelin glanced at Rowan, his wife’s eyes filled with worry as she bit her lip. She had been worried Rhoe would have difficulties with his roommate. They had tried hiring an interpreter for his classes but Rhoe dug his heels in and refused. He and his son had gotten into a nasty fight over it. Sam had to intervene.

Sam looked from Rhoe to the boy and back to Rhoe with furrowed brows before nodding to him. Looking back at the boy, Sam asked, “He wants to know if you would like to learn.”

The boy smiled at Rhoe, signing slowly:  _Yes. My name is C-A-I-U-S._

Rhoe’s eyes lit up, signing:  _My name is R-H-O-E_.

Aelin and Lyria looked at each other, smiling, such profound relief shone in his wife’s eyes as she turned to Caius and asked while signing, “You know how to sign?”

Caius dragged his eyes from Rhoe to his wife, “I got a letter from the University saying I was going to have a deaf roommate and I figured I should at least know the basics,” he looked back at Rhoe, that smile still on his face, “since we’re rooming for the next few years.”

Aelin pushed past Rowan and wrapped her arms around Caius, squeezing him in a tight hug, despite the boy being nearly eight inches taller than her. Caius rose his brows and returned it. Sam and Lyria laughed under their breaths and Rowan smiled at Rhoe; who was looking at Caius.

* * *

Aelin pulled away from Caius and wiped away the tears in her eyes. This boy was willing to learn how to sign just so he could speak with her son. She had been so worried about Rhoe going to a school that wasn’t for the deaf, afraid he was going to be placed with a roommate who would just avoid him.

She laughed at the bewildered expression on Caius and the deep sigh coming from Rhoe. She patted Caius’s chest and said, “My name is Aelin Galathynius if you ever need  _anything_ , you just ask me or my husband, Rowan. He’s the history professor here on campus so you can get to him whenever.”

Rhoe started signing rapidly to her, his face red with embarrassment, Aelin could only pick up a handful of words, none of them were good; She smiled at him, earning his glare. Caius’s eyes darted between her and her son, saying, “Did I… do something?”

Lyria strutted over to him and clapped his shoulders, looking up at him. “Besides being the greatest roommate my baby brother could ever ask for? No.”

Caius grinned widely and looked at Rhoe, who was still signing angrily at Aelin. When Rhoe looked back to Caius, Caius signed:  _You’re welcome_.

* * *

Rhys followed his wife into Biela’s apartment. They had known her roommates over the past few years. Dacia was Feyre’s ex boyfriend’s daughter and Evangeline had a father named Aedion and a mother named Lysandra. Rhys had met them over the years a few times. He didn’t know much about Evangeline, he knew more about Dacia Lyall. Feyre had been wary about letting their daughter live with her, had gotten into a fight with Biela over it. That was a day Rhys wouldn’t soon forget.

He took in the brick walls and the brown and teal furniture; the kitchenette where Biela was pouring herself a cup of black coffee, her own midnight black hair hanging to the middle of her back. She glanced over her shoulder at her mother, assessing her with a cool gaze.

“Where’s your roommates?” Feyre asked, pulling up a stool from the counter.

 Biela turned around, showcasing her cropped night shirt and lowriding pajama bottoms and the jewel that sat in her naval and the tattoo the circled it, and sat her mug on the counter. Clicking her black nails on the smooth marble, she said, “You mean ‘where’s Dacia’.”

Feyre’s gaze was nearly as cool as their daughter’s. Biela’s ice would rival that of her Aunt Nesta’s. Rhys took that as his cue to take the seat next to his wife. “Your brother is getting moved into his dorm today. Are you going to go see him before classes start?”

Biela’s eyes softened and turned to face him. “Of course. I plan on seeing him tonight. Why aren’t you helping him move in?”  _Why are you here?_

Feyre shrugged, “He wanted to get acquainted with his roommate without his father breathing down his neck.”

Rhys frowned. “I do not breathe down our son’s neck.” Biela rose a brow and took a drink of her coffee, hiding a small smile. “Okay maybe a little.” He spread his golden fingers over the countertop. “Do you blame me? The kid has a penchant for getting himself in trouble.” Memories of breaking up parties, of getting called to the school for truancy, of Caius breaking curfew filled Rhys’ mind.

Feyre nudged him. “And who, pray tell, does he get  _that_  from?”

Rhys gaped at her, “Surely you don’t mean  _me_.”

Biela shook her head, a faint smile on her lips, before refilling her cup. A door opened down the hall and Rhys leaned back, seeing a fire-golden haired girl come down the hall in a light green tank top and grey boxer shorts. She stopped midway, “Oh. I didn’t know we had company.”

 Biela leaned over the counter, looking at the girl. “Evangeline. Did we wake you?”

She shook her head, her curly hair falling just below her shoulder blade. “No. I needed to wake up anyways.” She strutted the rest of the way down the hallway and slid behind the counter, pulling sugar from the cupboard and milk from the fridge and shut the door with her hip. She smiled brightly at Feyre and him, the scars on her cheeks stark against her pale freckled skin. “I have a sibling that is moving into the dorms today too.”

“Artemis?” Biela asked.

Evangeline poured milk into her coffee cup, “That’s the one. My parents are helping her get moved in.”  She leaned against the opposite counter, watching him and Feyre with kind eyes. “Would you like something to eat?”

Rhys glanced at Biela, his daughter’s face was carefully blank, drinking her coffee. He wondered how such a kind, sunshiny person such as Evangeline was friends with his icy daughter. Next to him, Feyre looked at the clock on her phone before wincing, “Sorry, we better get back to the campus. Caius is going to think we forgot about him.”

* * *

Fenrys took the stack of books from Samaentha and lead them out of the campus bookstore. It was starting to get warm, despite it being only ten in the morning. Connallie followed beside her, quietly listening to her twin ramble on.

“She said her name was Mazakynn and to call her Maze,” Samaentha said, linking arms with Connie. “She’s here on a women’s hockey scholarship, so she’ll be up and out early for practice and I told her that I would be out early too because of volleyball.” Connie nodded, leaning into her twin and Sammi continued. “Apparently, she’s from a rough home and doesn’t have a lot so I told her she could borrow whatever of mine she wanted, since were about the same size.”

Fenrys put the stack of books on the roof of the car before looking back at his daughters and wife. Asterin too was looking at the twins, a small smile on her face, her eyes tinged with sadness. Sammi and Connie stood five foot seven, golden blond hair and dark eyes; Sammi loud and bright and Connie soft and reserved.

Sammi got into the backseat, still talking, followed by Connie. Fenrys grabbed Asterin’s hand before she could get to her side of the car. “Are you thinking about the baby?” Asterin just nodded and Fenrys pulled her into a hug, kissing her brow. “I think about her too, about what it would have been like to meet your daughter. If she would look like you and act like you.” 

He looked at her, “I can’t know what it’s like to lose a child; you gave me two beautiful girls that I love more than life itself but I know what’s it like to lose someone that was a part of you. I get through the hard days by remembering he wouldn’t want me to be sad. He’d want me to live. I imagine your daughter would want the same for you.”

               She wiped away a tear harshly. The backseat window rolled down and Connaellie looked between them, her onyx eyes shaded with worry. “Mom? Are you okay?”

Asterin cleared her throat, “I’m fine. Let’s get you to your dorm so you can meet your roommate, yeah?”

Connie studied her mother for a handful of heartbeats before, “Okay.”  

* * *

Walking up the stone steps into the women’s dormitory, Asterin followed her daughters and husband through the hallways, past an array of girls, down to Connie’s room. Connie stood in front of her dorm, quiet and frozen, her fingers digging into her pale pink skirt; Samaentha squeezed her twin’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine, Connie. I promise. Just  _breathe_.”

Her daughter was prone to panic attacks, especially around strangers. Asterin had been shocked when it was Connie who decided to room with someone who wasn’t her twin; but now it looked as if she was regretting that decision.

 Asterin brushed a lock of golden hair behind Connie’s ear and said, “You know everything you need to about this girl. Remember? Her name is Nadia Faliq Westfall. She’s seventeen and quiet, just like you.”

Connie nodded before taking a breath and opening the door. Inside, a woman and man stood with a girl- Nadia- who had upturned dark eyes and dark hair falling a few inches past her shoulders. The girl studied Asterin and her daughters before smiling faintly. “I’m Nadia.” She had a faint accent.

 “Connaellie,” her daughter rushed out, her face a little pale. She repeated herself, slower. “I’m Connie.”

Asterin took that as her cue to step forward and shake the man’s hand. He had chestnut hair and golden-brown eyes, he stood as if he were military. He probably was. “I’m Chaol, Nadia’s father.” He nodded to the woman next to him. “This is my wife, Nesryn.” The woman- Nesryn- nodded, her gaze sheer iciness. “You already met Nadia.”

“Asterin,” She said. “This is my husband, Fenrys, and our other daughter, Samaentha.” Sammi gave Nadia a wolfish grin, to which the girl merely rose her brows a fraction. It would appear she was more reserved, like her mother appeared to be.

* * *

Chaol took in the golden-haired family; they were all insanely good looking; they all had a bit of untamed wildness to them, except for the quiet one. He suspected she was more levelheaded than her sister.

His daughter stood quietly, an arm around herself, looking at Connie, reading her. The latter dug her fingers in her skirt, looking down, skin pale and golden curls swept loosely in a barrette. Her twin twirled a lock of golden hair around her finger, keeping close to her.

 Nadia had always been more reserved, not easily opening up, especially when they moved so often for his work. Being in the military hadn’t done well for his daughter making friends outside of Ciel. Nadia offered Connie a small smile, the cross at her throat glinted in the daylight. “Would you like to go somewhere less crowded to get better acquainted?”

Connie looked up and then to her mother in question. Asterin shrugged. “It’s up to you, Honey.”

Connie looked back at Nadia, “Can Sammi come with us?” Sammi gave his daughter an edged smile. He suspected she would tear the world apart for her sister.

Nadia shrugged, “Sure.”

The profound relief of the girl’s face was painfully noticeable. If he didn’t know better he would think she was afraid to be left alone with his daughter. But something told him she used her twin as an anchor.

Samaentha hooked arms Connie and took the red aviator sunglasses from the top of her head and slid them onto her face. “To the roof!”

“Are we allowed on the roof?” Connie asked, leaning into Samaentha.

“Dunno,” Samaentha grinned. “But were going to find out!”

 “Be  _careful_ ,” Nesryn said.

Without a look back, the three girls headed out of the room, Samaentha waving back to them. “Don’t wait up!”

* * *

The dormitory was filled with teenage boys, the sounds of their laughter filled Lorcan’s ears as he tightened his grip on his son’s duffle bag and followed after Declan and Elide. His son towered over nearly every person in the building. Standing six foot eight, Declan Lochan Salvaterre wasn’t one who could blend in.

Taking two lefts and a right, Lorcan found his son’s dorm room. Inside, the three beds were covered with boxes, the floor also. Lorcan took in the three men and two women in the room, his eyes snagging the woman with ice chips for eyes.

She stood in front of her son -he assumed- blocking Lorcan’s view of him and stared him down. Lorcan met her stare, dropping the bag by his feet. The woman with brown eyes frowned at the one looking at him, her voice a gentle chiding. “ _Nesta_.”

 Nesta shot her a look, her eyes softening when Elide started talking, drawing the tension from the room. “I’m Elide. This is my son Declan and my husband Lorcan.”

 “It’s  _Dex_ ,” his son said irritably, shooting his mother a pointed look. Lorcan refrained from snorting, the tension in his shoulders starting to ebb away. His son picked up the duffle at his feet and dropped it at the end of the unmade bed.

The young fire haired teenager snorted, earning a warning look from the ashy haired one. Irritability flashed through the latter’s face before looking at Declan, his eyes traveling up to his face.

The fire-haired boy let out a low whistle, “Holy fuck you are a  _giant_.” Declan glowered at him and crossed his arms. The boy’s lips quirked to the side. “You hit ceiling fans?”

“ _Ashton_ ,” the brown eyed woman chided, “Don’t be so rude.” Declan burst out laughing, earning him a frown by his mother and a smirk from him.

Ashton glared at his mother, before the fire-haired man snorted. The brown eyed female smacked his arm, earning a grin from him. He looked at Lorcan. “I’m Lucien. The loud mouth is my son, Ash.” He nodded to the woman, “My wife, Elain.”

  Elain smiled, brushing down her skirt. “This is my sister Nesta and her son Bay.”

Bay stayed by the wall and gave Declan a flash of a smile, his hazel-green eyes studying him warily. Declan returned the look. “You’re on my hockey team. Right?”

 Bay blinked, a grim smile appeared on his face. “Yeah. I guess so.”

 He knew he had seen the boy before. He had personally gone to one of his games; recruiting him for Maas University’s hockey team: The Dreamers.

He remembered that game so clearly; Baylor Perditus tearing through his opponents. Between him and his fellow defenseman, only one goal had gotten past them. He had wanted to sign him on immediately. The kid was built to hold his ground; broad shouldered, muscled and lean beneath a graphic tee and dark Demin jeans and glasses. If he didn’t already know, he would put his money on him being a defenseman with just the way he carried himself.  Now it seems he is his son’s roommate for the next four years.

* * *

Elide held Nesta’s gaze. The woman stood imperial and proud, her blue-grey eyes held a cold fire in them as she assessed Elide. She looked very well educated, was well off. But she wasn’t unfeeling, Elide had the feeling she felt and saw everything the world gave.

  Her son gave Bay a small dark smile. “Practice starts in a few days. You ready?”

 Nesta’s eyes shifted to her son and softened. But Bay held Declan’s gaze, not backing down from his taunt. “Absolutely.” Most people would be intimidated by Declan, but Elide could see no fear in Bay as his lips twitched into a half smile. “I’ve been practicing every day since Graduation.”

“Good,” Lorcan said, crossing his arms “Then you won’t be lagging behind the others.”

Bay’s eyes slid to her husband, eyebrows inching forwards as he registered Lorcan’s words. Pushing off the wall, Bay straighten. “You’re the coach.” It wasn’t a question. “I thought you were just a recruiter.”

  Declan’s smile grew and his eyes glinted with a sheer intensity that had Elide feeling sorry for the entirety of the hockey team. “Oh no. My dad is our coach for the season.”

Ash whistled and shook his head, a grin on his face. “Thank God I’m in lacrosse.” Both Bay and her son rolled their eyes at their roommate. Elide just knew the next four years were going to be amazing for her son.

* * *

Linking arms with her wife, Mor followed Azriel and Nate through the boys’ dormitory. Her son pushed up the sleeves of his dark hoodie, showing the expansion of tattoo as he walked, a bag thrown over his shoulder.

After two lefts, they got to Nate’s dorm room to find a tawny man with black hair and blue eyes who looked a hell of a lot like Rhys, a woman with moon-white hair and upturned gold eyes. But her gaze went to the boy. He had mismatched blue and gold up turned eyes and shoulder length jet black hair and a lazy grin on his face. “I’m Ciel, these are my parents.”

Her son dropped his bag on his bed and grinned at him. “Nate.”

Leta stepped forward and shook the boy’s father’s hand, giving him a bright smile. “I’m Leta, and this is my wife, Mor.” Nate looked at Ciel, looking for his reaction to him having two gay parents. Her son’s eyes were carefully assessing but Ciel just rose his brows and shrugged, digging into the chair before propping his feet on the table. Nate’s face relaxed. “And this is Azriel.”

Her friend nodded and shook the father’s hand, giving him a polite smile. “I’m Dorian. This is Manon.” The woman inclined her head and Dorian grinned. “You have any other children?”

“I have a son at home, one enrolled here, Adrien, and our eldest is in the military.” Mor smiled. “Do you have any more?”

Dorian shook his head, “Nope. Just Ciel.”

“Thank  _God_ ,” Ciel tipped his head back. Nate snorted. “I have all the sibling comradery I need with Nadia.” He gave Nate with an amused glint. “Look, I’m relatively easy to get along with. Just don’t eat my food and we’ll get along just fine.”

Nate grinned, “Trust me, I am well aware of the importance of food.” Her son would eat everything under the sun if he could; she just didn’t know where he put it all considering he’s lean. “Don’t touch my art supplies, food, cigarettes or say any homophobic shit around me and we’re good.”

Mor’s blood ran cold, thinking back to the last time someone said something to her son. She had to pick him up at the police station. She would never forget the look on her son’s face when he told her about the boys that tried to hurt him. Luckily, there had been no charges.

Ciel started laughing, running a hand through his hair. “Considering I’m bisexual, I would hate to appear as a hypocrite. You have to be a special kind of douche bag to be homophobic.”

Nate gave him an edged grin. “I agree.”

* * *

Manon’s lips pulled down as she watched her son and this boy. She could see an undercurrent of icy rage in them both. Something that was cold and unyielding. It couldn’t be shaped into a weapon, but it would cut all the same.

Her son had dealt with his own difficulty with people trying to hurt him because of his coloring or his sexuality. Memories of her son begging her to let him stay home from school pulled at her. Memories of pulling her son off people for insulting Nadia pulled at her.

Manon looked to her husband to see if he had come to the same conclusion. He slid her a look and nodded. He came to the same conclusion as she did.

Clapping their son’s shoulder, Dorian grinned at Azriel. “I think this is our cue as fathers to get the boys’ belongings.” Azriel snorted. Guiding her chin up to his lips, Dorian kissed her, earning a groan from their son. Dorian smirked at him. “Careful, I’ll make you bring your own stuff up.” Ciel held up his hands and Dorian shook his head. “Thought so.”

* * *

Rhys looked at the boy his son had learned sign language for. He was nearly seven inches shorter than Caius but he had the same mischievous glint in his gold rimmed eyes. He could almost see the amount of trouble he was, as if he were able to look in his head.

Caius looked from him to Feyre as he brushed back his midnight hair as he settled into the couch beside the boy, he brought his hands out in front of him and was hesitant as he pointed to the boy and signed letters and said, “This is R-H-O-E. Rhoe.” Caius slid a look at Rhoe and the boy smiled and nodded, giving him a thumbs up. Caius smiled back.

Rhoe’s mother’s eyes glimmered as she leaned into her husband, her arm going around his side. Rhys had a feeling she had been worried about her son and Caius being roommates, but not for the reason he was worried. He didn’t need his son in any more trouble.

The silver haired girl signed and talked fluidly, sitting on the armrest of the couch. She looked like she weighed nothing. “Is your entire family filled with ridiculously gorgeous people? If so, where can I get one?”

A pointed cough came from behind him and Rhys turned to see a golden-haired man, roughly twenty-eight by Rhys’s guess, give the girl an amused glint; the love in his eyes palpable. “ _Lyria_.”

“Gavriel.” A sob broke from Lyria, her eyes lighting up as she barreled from the couch and gave the man a crushing hug before cupping his face and kissing him on the mouth. Parting, she put her face in his chest. “You’re back.” Her father frowned and mother elbowed him in the side, shooting him a warning look.

 “Just in time.” Kissing the top of his head, he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Apparently.”

She smacked his chest and leaned up on her toes, kissing his jaw. “Oh, you know I’m just teasing. I belong to you and only you.” A gagging sound came from Rhoe and Caius grinned at him. “I missed you”

“I wish you could have gone with me, Princess.”

Lyria glanced back at Rhoe and signed rapidly. The boy glanced between her and Gavriel before wrinkling his nose and nodding. Turning to Gavriel, Lyria took his hand and said, “We’re going home.” Her father sighed painfully and Lyria shot him a look before pulling Gavriel out of their sons’ dorm room.

Feyre smiled at Rhoe shaking his head, correcting their son’s signing. Caius nodded and repeated the signs Rhoe gave him. Rhoe’s entire face lit up. Rhys had the feeling not many people took the time to learn how to sign. Rhoe was a lonely boy and Feyre could see it as much as he could.

The mother stepped forward and shook his hand. “I’m Aelin and this is my husband, Rowan. ” She clapped her golden-haired son’s shoulder. “This is Sam.” He didn’t look up from his book.

Rhys smirked. “This is Feyre, my wife. I’m Rhys. 

 


	2. Adieu

The sun started to disappear over the brick buildings of Maas University, painting the sky pink and gold; clouds stretched out for miles. Cassian’s heart felt heavy in his chest as he and Nesta crossed the parking lot, weaving past dozens of teenagers. He didn’t want to leave; he made himself put one foot in front of the other, making way to his jeep.

Leaning against the vehicle, Cassian eyed the sunset, the sky making the red finish on the jeep darker. Crossing his ankles, Cassian’s heart squeezed inside his chest as he leaned back, his elbow resting against the hood.

Waiting beside him, Nesta’s face was imperial and closed off, her blue grey eyes bright against the setting sun; eyelashes casting shadows onto her ivory skin. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips before brushing her knuckles with his thumb. Shoulders relaxing almost imperceptibly, his wife looked at him. She didn’t want to leave either.

Smiling at her, he squeezed her hand. “You will still see them, Nes. Every day.”

Her eyes left him, going back to the buildings sprawled throughout the campus. Sighing faintly, she brushed back a loose strand of hair before clasping her hands in front of herself. Her voice turned cold and analytical, “Bay has his meds safe in a lock box and Aysel has her phone alarms set for her schedules and all their teachers know about their illnesses.” 

She took a shuddered breath and rose her chin. “They both have meal plans at the cafeteria for the school week and plan to have family dinners on Sundays. If things go according to plan, they shouldn’t have any trouble.” But knowing their children, trouble finds them.

Guiding her chin to face him, Cassian refrained from pulling her into a hug. Blinking rapidly, a tear slid down her cheek. Swallowing thickly, Cassian brushed the tear away. Before he could respond, someone barreled into him.

Surprise cracking through him, Cassian pulled his daughter into a hug, kissing the top of her plum head. She rarely hugged anyone; she was the one usually pulled into them. Rubbing Aysel’s back, Cassian looked up to see Bay walk across the parking lot; his face carefully closed off.

He could hear the faint sound of guitars from the headphones Aysel always wore around her neck. When the world got too loud, when she felt and saw too much, Aysel put her music in her ears and shut out the world.

Cassian glanced down at his daughter, her eyes tightly closed as she squeezed him. Heart swelling in his chest, he brushed back the loose strands of plum hair behind her ear. Tears slid from her long dark lashes. “I’ll miss you, old man.”

Heart fracturing, Cassian flicked her nose, “Let’s not say things you don’t mean.” She stuck her pierced tongue out and he laughed.  “I’ll miss you too, Sweetheart. But I’ll see you every Sunday.” She buried her face in his chest and he met his wife’s gaze with raised brows. “This isn’t our daughter.”

Nesta’s gaze slid from his down to their daughter, softening. Aysel moved from him and hugged her, her face digging into her mother’s neck. Surprise flashed in Nesta’s eyes before she wrapped her arms around their daughter, her lips pressing against her forehead.

Pulling apart, Nesta met their daughter’s eyes. “You have everything you need? Your schedules, toys, your-” She took a shuddering breath, stopping herself and smoothed down the sleeves of Aysel’s military jacket. “You’ll be okay.” Cassian had the feeling she was mostly reassuring herself.

Aysel felt too much, saw too much. She was more sensitive than most people, as if the world’s lights and sounds affected her more than others. But textures fascinated her; from smooth metal to coarseness of sandpaper to the slippery feel of Silk. When the world came to become too much, she pulled her headphones on and closed her eyes and twisted the ring on her hand.

Pulling away from her, Aysel pushed the sleeves of her jacket back up, showcasing the bands of leather bracelets on both her wrists and the tattoo- phases of the moon- peaking below the sleeve. She twisted the fidget ring on her middle finger and sighed deeply. “I’ll be fine. Stop worrying so much.”

 Nesta nodded, her eyes sliding to Bay. Their son stood behind Aysel, silently watching them, his hands twisting in his pockets. Pulling him into a crushing hug, Nesta closed her eyes, pressing her lips to Bay’s forehead. While Aysel had gotten along more with him, Bay had clung to Nesta since Ash brought him to them.

The little boy had clung to her more stern-like raising. He wondered if his mother had been the same way before she had died. Bay paused before rapping his arms around her. “I’ll keep her out of trouble,” he whispered, kissing Nesta’s cheek. Cassian laughed at the glare their daughter gave Bay.

“Remember to worry about you, too.” She brushed back his ashy blond bangs and gave him a firm look. “Remember to take your meds with food and to not push yourself too much.  _Pace_  yourself and don’t take on too much at one time.” Bay looked down and her gaze softened as she lowered her voice, “Promise me.”

Cassian thought about the stay Bay had in the mental hospital his junior year. Severe stress from trying to do too much ended with him having a nervous breakdown; it had scared the hell out of Ash, but he had never once turned away from him. 

Bay had diagnosed as manic-depressive two days into his stay; only his family -and Ash- knew about it; Bay didn’t want anyone to know. He rubbed his wrist, where the medical ID bracelet had been, no doubt remembering the same thing.

Bay looked up beneath furrowed brows and a steely determination. “I promise.” When Bay turned to him, without hesitation Cassian pulled his son into a hug and squeezed him. Sighing deeply, Bay hugged him back. “I’ll see you Sunday, Cassian.”

* * *

Nesta’s heart felt too big in her chest as she gazed at her children. Bay, resilient in a life of loss and pain and Aysel, a bright rebellious light in a sea of darkness. She swallowed thickly and looked between Aysel’s bright eyes and Bay’s sturdy ones. “I am so proud of both of you.” Years of struggle led them to college. “I am proud to be your mother.” She slid her eyes down to Bay’s guarded gaze. “ _Your_ mother would be proud of you.”

Memories of Ash bringing her to a scared homeless nine-year-old boy filled her mind. He had been wearing a pair of ratty jeans and a threadbare sweatshirt and refused to show them his arms; the fear palpable on his dirty face. He had been homeless for a year; and mute for two. He had been with them for nearly six months before he started talking again.

She knew so little about him, only what had been in his DHS file; and that hadn’t been a lot. Just that his mother had died when he was five, placing him in a home with a man named Cairn Desper for three years. After that there was no record.

Bay swallowed, his hand going to the dog tags at his throat; the only jewelry he wore and never took off; the last time someone tried taking them away from him, they ended up with two black eyes and a broken nose. Bay’s gaze shuddered and he looked down and nodded. “Thank you, Nesta.”

Cassian looked to his watch at and sighed dismally. “We gotta head out, kids.” He kissed each of their kids’ heads and slid into the jeep, slamming the door behind him. Cassian rolled down his window and leaned out, flashing a too bright smile. “I’ll see you guys on Sunday. Love you.”

Smoothing down her dress, Nesta inhaled sharply before looking back at her children. “I’ll see you soon. Don’t hesitate to call if you need one of us, understood?” As they both nodded, Nesta hugged them one last time before saying, “I love you both.”

 Getting into the jeep, Nesta fastened her seatbelt before taking a shuddering breath. Taking her husband’s hand, the engine roared to life and they backed out of the parking space. Eyes going to the review mirror, Nesta watched her children fade away.

* * *

Loading up the last of the empty boxes, Aedion slammed the trunk of his car shut. He came around the side and leaned against the door, watching Artemis hug her mother tightly. Lysandra kissed her forehead and looked down at her. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”

Artemis’s eyes sparkled in the sunset, a faint smile on her lips as she brushed her hair behind her ear. She squeezed her mother’s hand and blinked back tears. “Thank you, Mom.” Aedion brushed back her tears and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. “Dad. You’re crushing me,” she wheezed.

 Pulling apart from her, Aedion smoothed down Artemis’s hair. Before he could respond, a whistle came from across the parking lot. Looking up, a girl with plum hair pulled a boy with her as she stormed across the car ridden space towards them.

 Artemis grinned wickedly. “Mom, Dad.  _That_  is my roommate. Aysel Archeron.” She waved towards the girl, who was still halfway from them. Looking back at him, his daughter’s eyes were brighter than he’d seen in years.

Sliding a look to Lys, his wife gave him a knowing smile before turning to face Aysel and the boy, her lips widening to a wolfish grin. The girl stopped short, rocking on her heels and smiled widely at him, her eyes swept him before she averted her gaze, her focus going to the spinning ring in her hand. “You’re pretty, you know that?”

Aedion took in the golden skin, a few shades lighter than her brother’s- he assumed- bronzed complexion. Her plum hair twisted in two buns, showcasing the trail of silver and diamond earrings in both ears and the piercings to her nose and lip. The tattoos dipping out of her shirt and peeking out from her sleeves and a pair of white headphones hug around her neck, heavy music still playing from them. It sounded vaguely like Hollywood Undead’s _Comin’ In Hot._

He had a feeling the girl attracted trouble, especially with the glint in her kohl-lined blue grey eyes. Aedion winked at her, earning him a widening grin from the girl’s dark red lips and narrowed eyes from her brother. He winked at him too, earning himself a set of flushing ears from the boy.

Artemis and Lysandra snorted. Holding out a hand, Lysandra introduced herself. Aysel looked at her hand for a split second before her brother shook it. “I’m Bay, this is Aysel.” Confusion then realization flashed in her eyes.

Aedion studied Bay. The young man looked up at him with hard eyes, pure steel; he had the feeling they had seen too much for someone his age. His short ashy fell over his eyes, covering the tops of the dark metal rims of his glasses that brought out the greens in his hazel eyes. 

But what caught his attention was the hoodie he wore and the way he carried himself; it was as if he were bracing himself for the worst. And with the heat, he had his sleeves pushed all the way down to his hands despite the sweat beading his forehead. The kid was too young to feel the weight of the world.

Lysandra smiled politely. “I’m Lysandra, this is Aedion.” He nodded, grinning at Bay, who’s ears flushed deeper despite the hard look on his face; he had a feeling the boy didn’t smile often. Squeezing their child’s shoulder, Lys said, “And  _this_  is Artemis.”

“My new roommate,” Aysel smiled towards her brother. Bay’s eyes slid from her to Artemis, his steely gaze assessing and guarded.  Artemis returned the look with a wolfish smile that had Aysel biting her lip from grinning wider. “Artemis is gender fluid. Plus, she hit on our  _dad_.” Aedion groaned; his wife shot him a pitying glace. Bay’s brows shot up before Aysel’s lips tugged downward, her eyes trained on Artemis’s shoulder, brows furrowed. Aysel twisted her ring more, her knuckles whitening. “Wait, was that a secret? That you were gender fluid?”

Bay stiffened, his eyes darting from his sister’s fingers twisting her ring to him, his wife and Artemis. He straightened, no doubt preparing for the worst. Aedion had a feeling Bay made it his job to put himself between threats and his sister. His eyes rested on Artemis, seeing what she would do with Aysel’s admission.

“No, no.” Artemis said reassuringly, placing a light brown hand on Aysel’s shoulder, smiling at the girl. Aysel shrugged out of Artemis’s touch. “It wasn’t. You’re fine.” Artemis never shied away from who she was, even if it caused such horrible bullying it had her trying to commit suicide two years before. 

Bay’s eyes softened, his shoulders relaxing; as did the whitening in Aysel’s knuckles. Lowering her arm, Artemis brushed her hair over her shoulder before looking to him and her mother, “And in my defense, he’s hot.” 

Worry crackled through him as he studied the loud girl. She seemed kind and boisterous. She reminded him of fire; destructive and dangerous but ultimately warm and inviting. He just hoped Artemis didn’t get burned.

Artemis looked Bay over, “You look nothing like your dad or sister. Do you look like your mother?” Bay’s face shut down and Aysel straightened, stepping closer to her brother. Confusion past Artemis’s face and she brushed a lock of dark wavy hair behind her ear, “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

“No,” Aysel said coldly, the brightness in her eyes sharpened to shattered ice. “It’s not.” It would seem the girl’s fire wasn’t just warm, it could be cold and brutal; but it would burn nonetheless. The girl was a storm made flesh; something to be weathered and he didn’t know if he wanted Artemis around it. “He’s adopted.” 

Artemis’s gaze shuttered and she winced; no doubt thinking about Evangeline. Her own sister had been adopted, her own past written in pain and blood. By the look on the boy’s face, so had his.

Bay glanced at his sister, his gaze softening a fraction, as he fished a light green cased smart phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. He bit his lip and slid his guarded eyes to Artemis. “We got an assembly to get to. You wanna come with us?” The ice from Aysel’s eyes thawed with her brother’s invitation.

Surprise lit up Artemis’s eyes and she turned to him and then her mother; the silent pleading in them clear. She wanted to go with them. Lysandra smoothed down Artemis’s hair and hugged her. “Go on, we need to go see Evangeline before we head home.”

Face lighting up, Aysel took Artemis’s hand and pulled her towards the buildings; a laugh escaping Artemis as Aysel stormed away with her in tow. Her brother sighed and slid his phone into his pocket and looked between him and Lysandra. “It was nice to meet you,” Bay said politely before following after the girls. “Ays,  _wait_   _up_.”

* * *

It had taken her husband half an hour to get out of the school parking lot. Between the students and parents saying their farewells, Aedion had to stop half a dozen times before making it to the highway. He had nearly whined the entire time.

Twenty minutes later, Aedion pulled into the Illyrian Steeps Apartment Complex parking lot. Aedion pulled into the parking space and turned the ignition off and turned to her, “Does she know we’re coming?”

Lysandra looked at her husband with an arch brow, “Unlike you, General, I make sure to give our children a heads up before showing.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door, “We don’t want a repeat of last time.” Aedion groaned, getting out of the car. Following suit, she threw a grin at her husband over the roof. “Hey, I  _told_  you to call her before showing up.” 

The memory of Aedion showing up to Evangeline’s apartment while she had a boy over started to form in Lysandra’s mind; She bit down on a laugh, remembering her husband’s tantrum when he returned home.

Sighing deeply, Aedion took her hand, leading her to the apartment building. The inside was heaven, sleek black wood and marble walls; a reception desk in deep stone sat in the middle of the large space. She was fairly certain the only reason her daughter and her roommates could afford the place was Biela’s father owning the building.

Taking the elevator up to the floor, Lysandra led her husband down the long expansion of hallway. She could nearly see her reflection in the ebony wood stretching for what seemed like miles. If she remembered correctly, the girls had the entire third story to themselves.

Knocking on the door, Lysandra could smell food being cooked in the apartment. She was certain it was Evangeline who would be cooking. Her daughter loved making meals for her friends. Lock unbolting, a golden-haired girl with kohl lined green eyes opened the door and smiled. Dacia Lyall. “Just in time. Evangeline is making Spaghetti.”

She knew Dacia. The girl was curvy and tall with legs that went for miles and golden blonde wavy hair that dripped almost down to her breasts. Her parents had cut her off when she was sixteen; after she had moved out and broken ties with them. 

Evangeline had told them Dacia had a lot of wounds from the way she was raised and moved out as soon as she possibly could. Including faint scars on her back from belts. If she ever met Ianthe Lyall, Lysandra would rip out her throat.

Dacia had gotten a job as an exotic dancer to pay for schooling and had been nearly homeless a dozen times before Biela and she took her in. She had refused to quit her job to work for Beila’s father so Biela had offered her a place to live instead.

Stepping through the apartment, Lysandra took in the teal and brown furniture, the wood floors and floor to ceiling windows. Evangeline stood in the kitchenette, her golden-red hair high up in a ponytail and wore a flowy cream-colored shirt and dark skinny jeans, her feet bare.

“Don’t you girls have an assembly at school?” Aedion asked, walking to pull up one of the stools at the counter.

Dacia clicked her dark nails on the counter, taking a drink from her coffee cup. Sitting it on the counter, Dacia leaned forward, her hooped earrings glinting in the light.  “It’s for the first years. It’s really just a welcome committee.” She looked at her phone, a frown tugging on her lips. “I got work soon.” Her eyes flicked to Evangeline, “Can you save me some?”

Evangeline smiled, “Of course. It’ll be in the fridge for when you get home.”

Leaning over the counter, Dacia pecked Evangeline on her cheek, “Thanks sweetie.” Standing, Dacia smoothed down her shirt, brushing her hair over her shoulder, “Tell Biela,” her voice faltered. Swallowing, she tried again. “Tell her I’ll see her later?” Lysandra smiled knowingly. “Please?”

Evangeline’s eyes softened, “Of course.”

Dacia looked to her, smiling. “It’s good seeing you again, Mrs. Ashryver.” Lysandra pulled her into a hug, squeezing her. Dacia froze before hugging her back, resting her chin on Lysandra’s shoulder. “Sorry I have to leave.”

“Dacia, I’ve told you to call me Lysandra.” Pulling apart from her, Lysandra cupped her face, “And don’t apologize, you’re doing what you have to.” She had been in similar shoes to Dacia; the girl was headstrong and was going places. Perhaps she could do something to help-

Dacia smiled, her fingers curling around Lysandra’s wrists. “It’s always nice seeing you.” Re-smoothing out her shirt, Dacia pulled a worn leather jacket on. Pulling her hair out of the back, she shot Evangeline a bright smile, “See you later!” before grabbing her keys and headed out of the apartment.

Pulling up the stool next to her husband, Lysandra splayed her fingers on the counter, absorbing the cool feel of marble against her fingers. Leaning forward, Aedion went to reach for an apple just to have his hand smacked by their daughter, “Wait for the food.” Lysandra snorted.

Pulling his hand back, he frowned at Evangeline, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Stirring the meat in the skillet, Evangeline moved through the kitchenette, pulling a can opener from a drawer before pulling a can of spaghetti sauce from the cupboard. Placing them in front of Aedion, she said, “You get to help since you think you can eat before everyone else.”

Grumbling, Aedion did as told and slid the open can towards her. Smiling brightly, she plucked the can up and poured it into the skillet, stirring the sauce into the meat. “How’s Artemis?”

Aedion grinned, resting on his elbows, “She’s good. She’s heading to the assembly with her roommate.”

Turning the burners off, Evangeline brought the pot of boiling water and noodles to the sink, draining the noodles in the resting strainer. The burst of steam rose as she lifted the strainer and shook it. After pouring the noodles back into the pot, Evangeline took six bowls from the cupboard out, placing them on the table. “Go on,” she told Aedion, “You can finally eat.”

Aedion moved. Shaking her head, Evangeline turned her eyes to Lysandra, making spooky fingers. “Artemis will finally meet the Fire Drake.” Lysandra arched a brow. Evangeline laughed. “That’s what they call the Dean, Amren. Everyone paints her as this nightmare that has been around forever.” She mused, “She looks fantastic for her age though.” 

She snorted and Evangeline smiled, the scars on her cheeks stark against her ivory skin. “She’s not  _that_  bad.” She was fairly certain her daughter had never said a mean word against a single person in her life. “She’s just cranky.”

Lysandra took the prongs from Aedion and heaped noodles into her bowl. As she poured the meat sauce on top, Lysandra looked at Evangeline. “That’s because you’ve never been in trouble a day in your life.”

Evangeline shrugged, filling the other bowls for her roommates and putting them in the refrigerator. She settled down into her seat and began eating. “Did Artemis get moved in alright?”

“Yup,” Aedion said, shoveling food in his mouth; his eyes lit with disdain. And worry. “Met her roommate too.”

Evangeline’s eyes lit up, “What’s she like? Does Artemis like her?”

“She’s,” Lysandra searched for the right words. “She’s interesting. Loud and vivacious, just like Artemis.” Lysandra twisted her fork in the noodles. “They’ll get along. Really well, I think.”

Aedion leaned on his elbows, “or they’ll tear each other apart. That girl is a cataclysm.” Lysandra thought about the way Aysel’s voice had turned from sunshine to ice so fast in defense of her brother. “I don’t know if I want Artemis around her.”

Lysandra had been specializing in mental health for the better part of twenty years. The way Aysel carried herself, the way she avoided eye contact, the way she rocked on her heels and shrugged out of Artemis’s touch; the girl was Autistic. She shook her head. “No, they’ll be good for each other. I just know it.” Both of them were different, they would help each other in a world where being different was punished.

“I hope you’re right,” Evangeline said. “Artemis could use a friend.”

* * *

Following his wife out of the boys’ dormitory, Aelin’s golden hair bounced off her back as she nearly ran down the stone steps of the building. Rowan noticed the strain in his wife’s shoulders and pressed his hand to the small of her back and gave her his strength. She continued forward with a raised chin, her gold rimmed eyes bright with unshed tears.

 “Fireheart,” he murmured, when they reached the car, “He’ll be okay. I’ll see him- “

Whirling around, Aelin blinked rapidly, tears falling onto her flushed cheeks. “That’s right, Rowan.  _You_  see him. I don’t.” His heart shattered at the look on her face; eyes bright with tears and heartache. Rowan pressed his lips to her forehead. Swallowing, she whispered, “I’m  _proud_  of him, Rowan. I just-“

His eyes slid down to hers and softened, “What if we had our movie night? Hmm? Every Friday? I can bring him and the twins home after work.” Lyria would demand Gavriel came. He would agree to have him, if only to get that look off his wife’s face. “Then take them back to campus after.”

She looked up at him through wet lashes. “Really?” she asked in a small, wavering voice; Rowan’s heart squeezed in his chest and it hurt to keep himself from crying also. Instead he nodded and hugged her. Aelin rested her forehead on his chest, her breath shuddering. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I?”

Guiding her chin up, Rowan brushed her cheek with a thumb. “You’ve spent more time with Sam and Rhoe than most parents spend with their children.” Between working with Sam and his Autism and Rhoe with his deaf-muteness, Aelin spent so much time with them, helping them the best way she could. Support.

Rowan sighed, “And now they’re out of our home and in college.” Cupping her face, Rowan pressed his forehead with hers. “Fireheart, you’re not overreacting. You just love your children and don’t want them to grow up.”

She sniffed, harshly brushing away her tears with the palm of her hand. “Neither do you, Buzzard.”

He smiled, running a lock of hair behind his wife’s ear. “No. I want them to stay five-year-olds forever. Back when they didn’t know what boys were and we were their heroes.”

 “Mom?” Glancing behind him, Sam and Rhoe stood. Brows furrowed, Sam studied him before sliding his gaze down to his mother; his book still in hand. Aelin smiled weakly at their sons. “Are you okay?” It wasn’t often Sam used eye contact, but when he did, it was when he was worried; and a worried Sam wasn’t a good thing. It made him unpredictable.

Sam had told him once that making eye contact felt overwhelming; that it felt like looking into the sun and the over stimulation had confused him and sometimes hurt him as it overloaded his brain. When he had maintained eye contact, it had made him unable to listen to the person he was talking to.

Rowan had read that some parents tried forcing their children into making eye contact, but after Sam had explained that to him, he didn’t want Sam hurting so he never forced him; Neither did Aelin. That didn’t stop his teachers from trying and when they did,  _Aelin_  got involved and they learned the hard way to not push their son.

 “Of course, I am.” Aelin said, blinking back tears.  Rowan bit back a groan. Sam did not take well to being lied to.

Sam narrowed his eyes to slits, tightening his hold on his book with white knuckles. “You’re crying. If you were okay you wouldn’t be.” His tone was accusing, it had his wife wincing and rubbing his arms. Sam shrugged out of her reach and frowned. “ _Don’t_  lie to me.” Rhoe looked from Sam’s lips to his mother and crossed his arms, frowning.

The two brothers were extremely close, sometimes more so than Sam was with Lyria. Rowan supposed Rhoe knew more about what it was like to be different than Lyria did. Even with the twins being close, Lyria wouldn’t be able to understand what it was like to see the world from Sam’s eyes. Not anyone would. But Rhoe would be the closest.

Aelin brushed her tears away harshly with the palms of her hands and sighed. She didn’t want to upset their boys. But by lying to Sam, that was exactly what she did. 

She signed an ‘a’ with her hand and circled her chest before pointing to herself then pressing her index finger to her chin:  _I’m sorry_.  _I’m just going to miss you._

The tension eased from Sam’s shoulders and the agitation left his face and he blinked and signed a curving ‘y’ before pointing to the right side of his chest sliding it to his left:  _You’ll still see us._

Aelin sighed through her nose and smiled. She brought her curved hand to the side of her forehead and then pressed her index finger to her chin.  _I know_.  _But I will still miss you._

Rhoe gave his mother a dimpled grin and hugged her tightly. Aelin buried her face in the crook of his neck and he rubbed her back, pressing his lips to her temple. Rhoe had always been close with his mother; he even had the same penchant for getting himself into trouble.

* * *

Aelin forced herself to pull away from her son and look him in the face. He had her eyes and thick lashes and freckles and his father’s silvery hair and tanned complexion. She stepped back from him and traced a path up the middle of her chest with her thumb:  _Proud._

Rhoe smiled tentatively and brought the tips of his fingers out from his lips:  _Thanks._

She squinted at the dark smudge on his face. She wetted her thumb before rubbing it from Rhoe’s cheek. He wrinkled his nose and she rubbed harder before signing:  _You haven’t even touched your art supplies today, how do you have charcoal on your face?_

Wiping his face, Rhoe looked at the dark smear on his fingers and raised his brows. Looking back at his mother, Rhoe gave her a crooked grin before signing the letter ‘A’ circling in front of his chest, signing:  _Sorry. C-A-I-U-S was helping me put them away._

Aelin exchanged glances with her husband, who was fighting a smile. Looking between Rowan and her sons, Aelin sighed. As much as she wanted her children to come home for the weekly movie nights like they used to have, they were adults. And in college. Bringing her hands out in front of her, Aelin signed and said, “Promise me you’ll at least come home for the holidays.”

Sam and Rhoe exchanged glances. Sam gave her a pitying look and signed and said. “Mom. We’ll be there every Saturday.  _Laundry Day._ ” Aelin blinked. She had forgotten. She glanced at Rowan; Based on the look on his face, he had forgotten too. “I told you you’d still see us.”

Rhoe face-palmed and sighed deeply.

Looking from Rhoe to her, Rowan looked down at his watch and sighed. “Fireheart, Rhoe has to get to the assembly. It’s for first years.”

Aelin nodded and pulled Rhoe with her to her side of the car. Brushing back his bangs, Aelin ignored the knot in her chest and schooled her features into a firm look. Rhoe’s spine straightened, preparing himself for what she was going to say. Aelin sighed through her nose and signed:  _Promise me you’ll keep yourself out of trouble this year._

Lips tugging down, Rhoe sighed through his nose and nodded. Relief spread threw her and she smiled:  _You are a good kid, Bambi. Just try to dial down the computer hacking and the fake I-Ds. We can’t bail you out like we did with high school._

Rhoe sighed painfully at the nickname she had given her son. Memories of sitting with her four-year-old son on Sundays watching the movie on repeat filled her mind. Back before Rhoe got himself in trouble to try to make friends, before Ryan Evans, before he learned the world could be a cruel place and he was a happy little boy.

She pulled him into a final hug and kissed his cheek. Pulling apart, Rhoe’s nose wrinkled but he smiled. God, she hadn’t seen her son smile for so long. Bringing his index finger to his lips, Rhoe then placed his hand flat on the other:  _I promise._

Aelin sighed and tried one last time _: Are you sure you don’t want an interpreter?_

Rhoe’s eyes flashed and lips thinned. Hastily brushing his silver hair out of his eyes, Rhoe inhaled sharply and brought his hands out in front of him and signed rapidly. She could make out few of the words. Rhoe tended to sign faster when he was angry; even with years of signing, Aelin had trouble reading him when he went that fast. 

Rowan glanced at Rhoe with furrowed brows and sighed; Sam glanced between her and his brother and crossed his arms, his voice scolding. “ _Mom_ -”

She held up her hands in surrender, cutting Rhoe and Sam off. Putting her hands on his face, she said, “Okay,” before letting go and signing an ‘a’ and rotating her hand on her chest. Aelin pressed her two first fingers to her thumb before bringing her index fingers to her thumbs, touching each other and twisting before separating her hands, flat and vertical, bringing them down:  _I’m sorry. No interpreter._

Aelin’s heart fractured at the look of relief on her son’s face. He brought his fingers out from his lips:  _Thank you._

Sighing, Aelin put her hand on the door handle; with the other she signed:  _I love you, Rhoe_. She sent Sam a look across the car, “I love you, Brightheart.” Her son looked over at her, nodding. “Tell your sister I said ‘goodbye’ okay?”

When he nodded, Aelin opened the door and slid into her seat and buckled herself in. If she hadn’t, she would have never left the campus. Climbing into the car, Rowan slid his keys into the ignition and roared the engine to life. Lacing her hand with his, her husband drove, leaving her to watch her sons through the mirrors.

* * *

As Caius finished unpacking, Rhys looked out the window, viewing the courtyard and the parking lot ahead of it. He could see the golden-haired mother of Caius’s roommate from where he was, getting into her pine green car. The woman had fire in her veins. So, did her sons it would seem.

“Hey Little Brother.”

Rhys turned around to see Biela hugging Caius. She had changed from her pajamas into a pair of black skinny jeans, a maroon long sleeved cropped lace shirt, her midnight hair pulled high up into a ponytail, showing the dripping earrings trailing her right ear and the three studs in the other; standing five feet three, Caius had a good thirteen inches on her. Biela Salutis Archeron was small but was ice incarnate. What she lacked in height she made up for with a barbed tongue.

Pulling apart from him, Biela looked up at her brother with soft eyes, a small smile on her face. Biela was ice to nearly everyone but her brother and Dacia and Evangeline. She was a few shades lighter than her brother’s golden tanned complexion, closer to her mothers. It was about the only thing the two women had in common.

“Hey Bea,” Caius grinned down at his sister. Feyre looked at their daughter; Biela ignored her.

Gracing the rest of the way into the room, Biela plopped down on Caius’s ebony comforter, resting back on her palms and crossed her legs. She scanned the room from the art supplies to the drum sticks to the made bed across from Caius’s with kohl-lined icy proficiency. 

Eyes shifting back to her brother, Biela cocked her head, her lips quirking into a half-smile. “How’s your new roommate? Was it worth learning a whole new language?”

Caius rubbed his charcoaled fingers before looking at his sister, his violet eyes alight. “He’s interesting and it was.”

“Good,” Biela said, pulling out the black rhinestone smart phone from her pocket. She looked down at the screen and flicked her gaze to Caius. “You should probably head to the assembly. It’s for first years.”

Rhys smirked, “You’ll finally meet Amren.” Unease shaded Caius’s violet eyes and Rhys laughed. Amren had been the Dean back when he, Azriel, and Cassian had gone to college at Maas University; so had the Archeron sisters. He squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Have fun,” he teased.

Caius rolled his eyes and glanced at Biela, “If I don’t make it back alive, remember I died bravely,” and stalked out of his bedroom. Biela snorted delicately.

When the door clicked shut, Feyre looked to their daughter. “Bea.” Biela promptly got to her feet and stalked out of the room, her hair swishing around her as she slammed the door shut. Feyre inhaled sharply and turned to him, her eyes tired. “She’s not going to let this go.”

He rubbed her arms, “It’s Dacia, Feyre. If it had been me with you, I wouldn’t have it let go either.” 

Biela harbored feelings for Dacia Lyall and Feyre hadn’t responded well to it; She didn’t want Biela to be anywhere near Tamlin and Ianthe and Dacia was their daughter. Biela had become pure ice to her mother, but she obeyed her wishes; although she drew the line with Dacia living somewhere else.

 Feyre folded her arms across her chest and sighed deeply; confliction warred on her face. She pressed her forehead against his chest and closed her eyes. “What if she’s like him, Rhys? What if she’s like  _her_.” Cold rage sat in Rhys’s chest at the thought of Ianthe. “What if Dacia hurts our daughter and I could have prevented it.” She took a shuddering breath; he pulled her close. “I would rather have her angry with me than in an abusive relationship.” She looked up at him. “She deserves to have what I have. What  _we_  have.”

 “Then she’ll have it.”

* * *

Sammi and Connie walked back into the latter’s room, arm in arm, following in after Nadia. Asterin took in the three girls, smiles on their faces. Nadia’s soft leather jacket, flowy white shirt, black skinny jeans, and layered necklaces were nearly opposite to Connie’s soft pink skirt and large cream-colored sweater and diamond earrings. Asterin liked the contrast of the two girls.

The golden flecks in Connie;’s onyx eyes glowed from laughter as she unhooked from Sammi’s arm and hugged Fenrys and looked up at her father, who towered over her. “You should see the sunset. It’s beautiful.” Nadia’s golden-brown eyes stayed on Connie; her parents exchanged looks.

Fenrys hugged their daughter back, kissing the top of her golden head and looked down at her, his eyes sparking. “I’m guessing you were allowed on the roof?” He asked dryly.

Sammi took the sunglasses from her face and shook her hair out before sliding them back atop her head. Smoothing down her shirt, the flag printed on the front faded against her golden hair. Sammi smiled wolfishly and said, “And we didn’t even break any rules.” Fenrys smirked.

Chaol sighed; Nesryn merely rose a brow and folded her arms. Nadia looked from Connie to her mother and squeezed her hands. “We have to go.” Nesryn’s eyes shone as she nodded and hugged her. Nadia pulled apart and hugged her father. “I’ll miss you, sir.” Chaol closed his eyes and squeezed her.

Connie came up to Asterin, her eyes lined with tears. Asterin brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled down at her daughter. She had always imagined what that baby girl she lost so long ago would have been like; if she had been like her or like her father. She may never know, but she would know about her twins; Untamable Samaentha and kind Connaellie. “You got this.”

Connie blinked, tears streaming down her golden cheeks. She burrowed her face in Asterin’s neck and squeezed her. Heart fracturing, Asterin wrapped her arms around her daughter and returned her hug. “I’m going to miss you, Mom.”

She smoothed down her hair and cupped her face, “I’m going to miss you too, Honey.” Fresh tears welled in Connie’s eyes and Asterin wiped them away. “You can call me whenever you need to, okay? Your father too.”

“I’ll be okay,” Connie said, firmly. She turned to her father and hugged him again, burying her face in his chest. “I’ll miss you too, Dad,” her voice muffled against his shirt.  Fenrys wrapped his arms around her and smiled.

Sammi pulled her into a hug and squeezed her. She pulled apart and looked at her daughter, Sammi’s onyx eyes sparkled. She looked over her shoulder at her twin, smiling, before looking back at her.

“I’ll keep an eye on her. I promise,” Sammi whispered. Connie wrinkled her nose, glaring at her sister; Nadia smirked and turned back to her parents, her black hair falling over her shoulders. Nesryn and Chaol exchanged knowing glances before returning to their quiet conversation with their daughter.

 Asterin blinked back tears and inhaled sharply. Sammi smiled at her. It wasn’t one of her usual savage grins; it was soft and warm, lighting up the golden flecks in her eyes. Rubbing Sammi’s arms, Asterin clicked her tongue, “Worry about  _you_ , okay?” 

Connie was stronger than she appeared. Beneath her kind smile and quiet temperament, she had the teeth of a wolf. Getting on Connie’s bad side was much worse than her twin’s. She kissed Sammi’s cheek and hugged her again. “I’ll miss you.”

Hooking arms with Sammi, Connie looked to her roommate, her eyes filled with quiet nervousness. “Nadia?” Nadia turned around, golden-brown upturned eyes going to Connie, her brows raised in question. Asterin bit back a smile; the girl was already able to tell the difference between the twins. “Do you want to come with us?” Her eyes shifted to Nadia’s parents, her cheeks flushing. “We can wait for you if you want.”

* * *

Nesryn looked from her daughter to the twins; alike and different in every way. Connie looked from them to her daughter, smiling and biting her lip. She seemed so very different from her loud family, but she had a feeling the girl was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Nadia looked to her father, then slid a look to her, her gaze a quiet question. Nesryn sighed through her nose and brushed a lock of hair behind Nadia’s ear. “Go on. We’ll see you on Sunday?”

Nadia smiled and nodded, “Of course.”

Taking Nadia’s hand, Sammi led the girls out of the room. “Later!” Fenrys snorted.

Nesryn’s heart swelled as she caught a full smile on her daughter’s lips as they turned the corner. She looked from Asterin to Fenrys, the two parents also watching the girls leave. She prayed Nadia would learn more about herself in these coming years. But more than that she prayed her daughter would be happy. She had a feeling Connallie Blackbeak was going to play a key role in her daughter’s happiness.

* * *

Lorcan was left with Ashton’s family and his own. Somehow, he preferred the woman with ice chips for eyes and her son to the loud and brash Ashton and his family. He had a feeling Bay cleaned up Ashton’s messes a lot. How the kid had made it to eighteen years old, Lorcan didn’t have a clue.

Ashton looked Declan up and down before sliding his russet eyes to Elide, his brows furrowed in thought. The kid cocked his head to the side and held up a hand, pointing between his wife and Declan. “How did  _he_  come out of  _you_?” Lorcan flattened his brows. “You’re so tiny and he’s a fucking Tree of Terror.” Lucien choked; Declan narrowed his eyes.

“ _Ashton!_ ” Elain exclaimed, putting her hands over her mouth, her eyes bright with horror.

“What?” Her son asked, folding his hands behind his head. “I can’t be the  _only one_  who’s thinking it.” Lucien winced. He had been too. Lorcan sighed. Declan shot Ashton a dark look; Ashton grinned. Lorcan could almost imagine Declan knocking Ashton’s head off his shoulders.

Lorcan could see Elain was about to apologize when Elide burst out laughing. The loosening of tension in Elain’s shoulders was painfully visible as she lowered her hands from her mouth. “I am  _so sorry_ \- “

Elide waved her off. “It’s fine. You’d be amazed at how often I had been asked that.” Ashton snorted as Dex sighed irritably, folding his arms over his chest.

Ashton stood, his fire-colored hair falling behind his shoulders as he pushed up the sleeves of his navy-blue button up, showing the defined expansion of his golden- a few shades lighter than his father- forearms and the tattoos that were inked on his right; a forest of trees in the fall.

The kid was toned and wiry. Lorcan would bet he was a midfielder; fast and agile. Just with the way he carried himself, Ashton looked as if he could hold his own as defense and offense. Lorcan had a feeling he was also decent in a fight. Probably had to be to back up his insufferable mouth.

Pulling the black hair tie from around his wrist, Ashton pulled his hair back into a low ponytail, showing the expansion of his throat. The kid’s face was narrow with high cheekbones and crafty russet eyes.  A fox incarnate.

Digging into his pocket, Ashton pulled out a red cased smartphone and looked at the screen. Looking to his mother, Aston’s voice was softer than he’d heard all day, “I got to go.” He shot Declan a look. “There’s an assembly, we’re both needed there.” Declan merely rose a brow.

Leaning down to kiss his mother’s cheek, Aston whispered, “I’ll see you Sunday at Aunt Nesta’s.” Elain pulled her son into a tight hug and squeezed her eyes shut. Ashton closed his eyes and returned it. Giving his father a two-finger salute, he swaggered out of the room.      

_Thank God_ , Lorcan thought.

* * *

Lucien shook his head. Dex shrugged off his letterman jacket, laying it on his bed, showing the dark grey shirt clinging to his torso and the chrome watch on his wrist. He turned to his mother, his onyx eyes softening a fraction. “I better head out; the Loud Mouth is right.”

Elide got to her toes, pulling her son down so she could kiss his cheek. She smiled widely up at him. “I’m proud of you, Declan.” He sighed, glaring at her; Lucien hid his smirk, just for Elain to smack his arm. He shot her a look:  _What?_  Elain sighed and shook her head.

Elide hugged her son. “I’ll miss you.”

“You too,” he whispered. Dex straightened and looked to his father, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “I’ll see you at practice.” When Lorcan nodded, Dex stalked out of the room with square shoulders. Lucien could almost imagine the kid being given a wide birth as he stalked through the dormitory.

Lucien looked between Lorcan and Elide when they turned back to face him and his wife. Lorcan looked at him with a bored stare and Lucien grinned. “I bet you twenty bucks your son tries to deck my son by Christmas.” Elain sighed painfully, but didn’t contradict him.

“I think,” Elide smiled, “that Bay would intervene.” Lorcan snorted.

Lucien snorted, “That’s why I said ‘try.’” Even with him putting his son in boxing when he was young, Bay usually put himself between Ash and whoever it was Ash had pissed off. He supposed Bay felt it was his job to protect Ash, since it was Ash who found him and shared his family with him, to pay him back. “Getting past Bay is near impossible.” With Cassian as his high school coach, Bay practiced  _constantly_. It drove Ash nuts.

A glint shone in Lorcan’s eyes as he crossed his arms and smiled darkly. “Why do you think I personally recruited him?” Lucien felt a surge of pride in Bay; the kid deserved it. “I think the boys have finally met each other’s match.”

Lucien smirked. “I think you’re right.”

Lorcan’s smile grew, “Thirty by Valentine’s Day.”

* * *

Azriel moved out of the way as Adrien came into the room with two other boys, brushing his black hair from his hazel gold eyes. Out of all the boys, Adrien was the one who looked most like him; acted most like him.

He looked from Ciel to his parents, his expression carefully blank; the other two boys were clearly brothers. He knew Sam, he was Adrien’s roommate and was his best friend. He only knew Rhoe by name. If he remembered correctly, the boy was a first year like Nate.

 Mor came up and pulled Adrien into a hug, squeezing him tightly. He wrapped an inked arm around her, kissing her cheek. “Hey mom.” His gaze going back to Ciel, Adrien straightened, studying him before giving him an edged grin. “You must be my brother’s roommate.” Ciel arched a brow and nodded. “I’m Adrien.” He nodded to the boys beside him, “Sam and Rhoe.” Sam nodded, crossing his arms. Rhoe followed suit.

Ciel leaned back, throwing his arms over the back of the couch as he looked up at Adrien beneath narrowed angled mismatched eyes before sliding his gaze to the brothers, his lips quirking to the side. “Ciel.”

Adrien crossed his arms, the half sleeve of ink on his right arm peeking beneath his black shirt. “Well, Ciel, I’m guessing you’ve met my parents?” Azriel’s blood ran cold at the challenge in Adrien’s voice; his son was fiercely protective of his family. He didn’t care about his reputation around the school or with his hockey team despite being captain. As long as they he kept them safe and his team played and worked tighter, he didn’t care what anyone thought of him; Adrien would do whatever he needed to to keep the people he cared about safe. Including spending a month in jail when he was seventeen.

“ _Adrien_ ,” Leta chided; he ignored her and stared down Ciel.

Manon’s angled eyes narrowed; her husband shoved his hands in his pockets, watching to see what Ciel would do. “Alright,” Ciel sighed and stood up. Standing toe to toe with Adrien, Ciel said, “ _Look_ , your brother already gave me the third degree. And like I  _said_ , you need to be a special kind of douche bag to be homophobic.” He narrowed his eyes. “ _Back off_.” 

Nate stood from his bed, alert; Azriel crossed his arms. Sam glanced at Ciel with renewed interest, Rhoe looked between Sam and Ciel with raised brows. Azriel hadn’t really seen Sam take much interest in others besides Adrien. He had always had his head in his books.

 Adrien’s face didn’t shift and he didn’t back down. Instead, he slid his gaze to Nate in silent question, who nodded confirmation. But it was Sam who put his hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Ade,” he said softly; Adrien’s shoulders relaxed and he uncrossed his arms. Azriel blinked, not many people could leash Adrien; But Sam could. 

“I’m sorry for him being an ass,” Sam said. “He and his family get a lot of bullshit thrown their way.” Mor squeezed Leta’s hand and leaned into her. “So, does mine. It’s defense at this point.” Rhoe looked from Sam’s lips to Ciel and nodded.

Ciel uncrossed his arms and grinned, dragging his eyes from Sam, to Adrien. “Look, man, I  _get it_. I’m bisexual and Asian. Plus, I got the whole Heterochromia thing going on. But that doesn’t mean you need to be a dick.” Adrien didn’t react. Nate rolled his eyes.

Rhoe frowned and Sam signed him letters; Azriel could tell he was signing  _heterochromia_. Realization dawned on Rhoe’s face and he signed a ‘Y’ and rocked his wrist. Ciel blinked, no doubt putting together Rhoe was deaf. “Can you read lips?” Rhoe nodded. “Then I’ll make sure you can always read mine.” Rhoe’s sigh was almost imperceptible; Azriel was sure only he and Sam caught it.

Sam bit his lip, still looking downcast, and brought his hands out in front of him, signing and saying, “Would…would you like to learn to sign?” Adrien rose a brow and smirked. Rhoe’s face was carefully neutral as he watched for Ciel’s answer.

Ciel’s face split into a grin, “I’d love to.” He gave Sam a sweeping look. “You teaching?” Color rose on Sam’s cheeks and into his ears and he nodded. “Perfect.” Rhoe gave Sam a dimpled smile and elbowed him, rapidly signing. Sam glared at his brother and signed back, just for Rhoe to snort. Ciel rose his brows, “Talking about me, I see.” Rhoe shrugged. “Nothing bad I hope.” Rhoe shook his head; grinning before Sam sighed. Ciel smiled, “Good.”

A faint buzzing sound came from pocket of Rhoe’s dark jeans. Fishing it out, Rhoe looked at the screen and sighed through his nose before showing it to his brother. Sam’s nose wrinkled and be brought his hands out in front of him, signing and saying, “First years are needed for an assembly.” Rhoe signed to him and Sam translated. “Were going to head there. We’ll see you later.”

* * *

Manon watched the two brothers leave; Sam nearly six four and Rhoe five nine. She had a feeling the two boys were rather close and appeared to be good people. Sam hadn’t maintained eye contact with anyone besides his brother, even then it was glaring.

Nate rubbed his hands, before pushing up his sleeves, showing the expansion of his inked forearms. The boy had a sinewy build- toned but thin- beneath his thin hoodie, graphic tee, dark jeans and beanie. He wrapped his arms around Leta, kissing the top of her white head. “I’ll see you later.”

Leta buried her face in Nate’s shoulder and squeezed him tighter, her ivory skin a few shades lighter than his light brown tone. Nate’s lips quirked to the side and he kissed her temple. She sniffled before looking up at him with swimming grey eyes. “Get out of here before I force you to come home with us.”

Nate tipped his head back and laughed, the silver rings in his nose and lip glinting in the light flooding the room as he moved to Mor. His eyes crinkled as he smiled down at her, tucking a golden lock of hair behind her ear. Mor blinked rapidly and put her hands on his face, despite being nearly six inches taller than her. “I’m proud of you, Nathaniel Verrum.”

* * *

Dorian watched Nate hug his parents and leave with his brother, his parents following suit right after, heading out for the assembly. He didn’t know how he felt about Adrien Verrum. The kid seemed cold but brutal in his need to protect his family. He carried himself as someone who had served time; alert and challenging and intimidating.

Dorian pulled Ciel into a hug, squeezing him tightly. He thought about when Ciel first started school, he made friends so easily and loved easier. For a boy who had a lot of Darkness in him, he shone so brightly. Dorian pulled apart from Ciel and clapped his shoulders. “Go on, we’ll talk to you later.”

Ciel nodded and hugged his mother. Manon wrapped her hands around Ciel and closed her eyes. The sigh that came from her was nearly imperceptible. Dorian’s heart squeezed in his chest when she opened her burnished gold eyes; bright with unshed tears.

Pulling apart from Ciel, Manon looked up at their son. Ciel studied his mother, his mismatched eyes intense and searching. “Are you going to be okay.”

Manon rolled her eyes before brushing away her tears harshly. “I’ll be fine. You go on.” Ciel’s grin didn’t reach his eyes as kissed her cheek and strutted out of his dorm.

Dorian pulled Manon into a hug, kissing her forehead and rubbed her back. Her forehead pressed against his shoulder and he squeezed his wife tighter. “You think he’s going to be happy here?”

Manon swallowed. “I hope so.”

* * *

Rhys stopped in his steps, seeing the familiar golden hair followed by black hair and white hair. Rhys turned to Feyre and saw that she too saw them. Feyre glanced at him, her eyes bright with happiness, and ran up ahead of him.

Following suit, Rhys ran after Feyre and found her hugging Mor, squealing. “Oh God,” Mor exclaimed, “I haven’t seen you in  _forever_!” Feyre pulled apart from her and hugged Leta and then Azriel. “What are you doing here?!” Mor gasped, “Is  _Caius_  here? At this school? What about Biela?”

Feyre smiled, pure undiluted pride shone in her eyes. “Yes, we just got him moved into the dorm today and Biela lives in an apartment with two other girls.”

Leta brushed back her white hair over her shoulder, showing the expansion of her ivory throat, and smiled. “Do you know the girls?”

Disdain flashed in Feyre’s eyes so fast, Rhys was almost sure he imagined it. But by the look on Azriel’s face, he did not. “One of the girls is Dacia Lyall.” Shock flashed on Mor’s face before Feyre nodded. “Oh yeah. You should have seen the fight I got into Biela with. She refused to let Dacia live elsewhere or let us find her a place she could afford.”

 Leta winced, wrapping her arm around Mor’s waist. “Your daughter could rival winter itself.” Rhys was inclined to agree. “Surely Dacia isn’t as bad as you think? Maybe she’s nothing like her mother and father.”

“Well,” Feyre sucked on a tooth. “I don’t know her that well. The problem I have is Biela likes Dacia. I don’t want her to be in a relationship with Tamlin and Ianthe’s daughter. There are plenty of girls in the world. Biela will move on.”

 Mor smiled sadly, “But none of them are Dacia for Biela. Are you really going to risk your already rocky relationship with your daughter because of your ex? That girl had lived with Tamlin and Ianthe for so many years, don’t you think that if  _Biela_ , of all people, cares about her, maybe there’s more to Dacia than whose blood runs in her veins?”

Feyre sighed. “Maybe you’re right.”

* * *

Amren watched as her students filed into the auditorium. She could almost smell fear coming off most of them when they looked at her. She knew of the rumors and stories the students, and sometimes even the staff invented about her. It amused her greatly that she had been able to instill fear into them to the point most avoided breaking the Campus Bylaws, just so they never ended up in her office.

She knew nearly every student by name. She made it a point to be familiar with each one, specifically the students with disabilities. Amren prided herself on her University having services for her students to make the most out of their learning experience.

She watched as Samaentha Blackbeak dragged her sister and Nadia Faliq Westfall with her through the auditorium, winking at the Declan Lochan Salvaterre before pulling the two girls down the aisle. The boy merely rose a brow and went to a seat far in the back.

Sam Galathynius walked through the space, his little brother on his heels, before finding two seats towards the front of the auditorium. Sam had been coming to the university for two years, making this one the third. She could see his knuckles whiten against the book in his hand. From what she knew about him, Sam hated crowds, but she had the feeling he came to the assembly to sign for Rhoe.

A black-haired boy came in and cast his eyes around before pinpointing Sam and his brother and went to sit with them. Amren knew immediately who it was, he looked just like his father. It was Caius Salutis Archeron. Hopefully the boy wouldn’t be as bad as Rhysand was, but Amren had a feeling he would be living in her office. Right along with Rhoe. And a few other students.

Aysel Archeron barreled through a group of students, Artemis Ashryver in tow, followed along by Baylor Perditus. The boy’s eyes darted around as he followed, mapping out every exit and student between them. Amren could almost see the calculations running in his head, how hard it would be to get him and his sister out if he needed to. She wondered what had happened to him that he needed to scour the exits in one of the safest places on campus.

Aysel ducked into an isle with Baylor and Artemis behind her. Amren could see Aysel fidgeting with a ring on her hand, her bright eyes scanning the space wildly before pulling her headphones over her ears, the wild glint starting to dissolve as she leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes.

Ashton Vanserra Archeron made his way through the crowd before plopping down in the seat next to Baylor, a smirk plastered on his face as he flung his arms around the backs of the seats. Amren could almost feel the arrogance from where she was.

Nathaniel Verrum hug back in the last row, looking through pictures in his camera, no doubt waiting for the assembly to begin. Amren was well acquainted with Nathaniel’s brother, Adrien. The boy was part of the school’s hockey team. If she remembered right, he was the team captain that year. Amren squinted, seeing the ink that peaked out of his shirt collar. It would seem tattoos ran in the boys’ family, considering Adrien had plenty as well.

With the last wave of people, Amren could see Ciel Blackbeak Havilliard swagger his way through the crowd, his mismatched eyes scanning the room before locking on Nathaniel. He pushed past a few students before plopping down in the seat beside him, propping his feet up on the seat in front of him. Amren narrowed her eyes at him and Ciel paled, pulling his feet onto the floor.

 As the students quieted, Amren clicked her red nails against the ebony podium and gave the room a sweeping gaze. Most of them appeared nervous, a few outright afraid when she smiled widely. “Welcome to Maas University, where the next four years you will learn and prepare for your futures as the leaders of tomorrow.  I am the dean of faculty, Amren Draki and my door is always open to those who need me. Try to  _not_ need me.” A chorus of nervous laughter rang through the space as Amren worked through her speeches. After what felt like hours, Amren closed the speeches. “You’re dismissed.”  


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes found at the bottom :)

It was the fouth day of classes and Bay was already ready to smash Ash’s phone to pieces. His irritation finally snapped as he pulled on his dark jeans, listening to the alarm on Ash’s phone go off for the tenth time. After pulling on his dark hoodie- making sure it went down to his wrists- Bay went over to the minifridge and pulled out two of the coldest bottles of water.

He stalked over to Ash’s bed and twisted off the cap of the first bottle and cocked his head, looking down at his brother. Ash’s coppery hair spilled over the navy pillowcase, covering his face. Like clockwork, Ash’s alarm went off and once again, Ash hit snooze.

Sighing through his nose, Bay dumped the contents of the bottle directly on Ash’s head, drenching him with ice water. He took a fluid step out of reach as Ash shot up and started swinging. Bay crossed his arms and gave Ash an unimpressed look when Ash’s russet eyes narrowed on him. “Was that fucking  _necessary_?” he rasped out. Yes. Yes, it was.

Bay threw the empty water bottle at him, “Get your ass up. I’m tired of listening to your phone go off.” There was only so many times Bay could listen to  _Rebel Yell_  before he committed homicide. The last thing he needed was for Billy Idol to get stuck in his head during class. Or worse, during hockey practice.

Ash’s nostrils flared and caught the bottle with ease before it hit him in the face. He kicked his damp comforter off him, showing the  _In Omnia Paratus_  tattoo peeking out of his deep red tank top and a pair of navy blue boxer shorts.

He stood, pulling the hair tie from around his golden wrist and tied his damp hair back before glaring down at him. “You’re a fucking  _dick_ without coffee.” Well, he wasn’t wrong. Getting between him and his coffee ended badly for the idiot barring him from caffeine.

Ash got up and pulled the blanket off his bed, letting his bedding dry. The number of times he’s had to do this, Bay had lost count. One would think that after enough times, the idiot would get up the first time his alarm went off.

Satisfied Ash was actually  _awake,_  Bay went and pulled the lockbox from beneath his bed and took his meds with a swig from the second water bottle. He hated taking medication. He hated being bipolar. He hated having  _one more thing_  wrong with him. Sometimes, it seemed like there was a never-ending list of things that made him that much more damaged. It had him wondering how anyone could love him. There was just so much wrong with him. Who would want to put in so much work to be with him or to love him? 

Promptly unwrapping a grape sucker, Bay shut down the thoughts and shoved it in his mouth and the wrapper in his pocket. Dry mouth was a bitch and candy took the edge off.

He glanced behind him at Ash buttoning up an ebony dress shirt with opal buttons. Ash always did dress nicer than most. Unlike him, Bay always wore jeans and hoodies. He just didn’t care about how he looked; only that his scars were covered. Dressing nicely brought him unwanted attention. He preferred being the invisible person.

Ash rose a brow, flicking his russet gaze from his shirt to Bay and wiggled his brows. “Like what you see?”

Bay rolled his eyes, thinking back to the rumor that had went around the year before. Karis spreading that he and Ash were a couple ended with Karis and he get getting suspended for fighting in school. It wasn’t the rumor itself that had his temper snap. It had been the slur after slur and spraining Bay’s wrist that had Bay shattering his nose. It was only fair considering he  _needed_  his wrist for hockey; Karis could still breath with his mouth. Luckily for Karis and his life, it had happened offseason; after Lorcan came to recruit him.

Bay merely said, “Hurry up.”

He pulled his green Converse from out under his bed and slipped them on. Standing, Bay slung his duffle over his shoulder and looked at his phone; Aysel was sending him text after text to ‘hurry your ass up before I drink your coffee.’ Bay snorted and took the sucker out of his mouth. “Aysel is waiting for us. If she drinks my coffee you’re buying me a new one.”

Ash pulled a pair of shoes out from his closet. “It won’t kill her to wait a few minutes.”

Bay leaned against the wall, studying his sucker before putting it back in his mouth. “No, but it might kill  _you_.” Ash rolled his eyes. “If I have to go much longer without caffeine I’m committing Fratricide,” Bay said dryly.

Ash snorted and tied his shoes before pulling on his watch and grabbing his backpack. Slinging it over his shoulder, he gestured to the sucker in Bay’s mouth. “For someone who is just so  _dedicated_  to sports, you have a debilitating addiction to sugar and caffeine. That shit isn’t healthy.” Bay just arched an eyebrow. Ash majoring in nursing annoyed him to no end. “It’s eight in the fucking morning and you’re eating  _candy_.”

Bay pushed off the wall and pulled the door open before throwing a bored look over his shoulder at Ash. “You should get Captain Obvious tattooed on your forehead if you’re going to keep staying shit like that.” Bay ignored Ash’s eyeroll and headed out of the dorm.

* * *

 

_Coming Home_  sounded through Aysel’s headphones as she waited in line. She rocked on the balls of her feet and twisted the ring on her hand, humming along to Falling in Reverse. Aysel got to her tip-toes looking over the man in front of her’s shoulder, eyeing the barista at the counter of Rita’s. She hadn’t seen him the last few days she had been here. But holy hell, he was so  _pretty_.

He grinned at the customer ahead of her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he took the man’s order. The boy smiled with his whole face, wide and unyielding and full of unsounding laughter. Aysel had the sinking feeling the boy was gay. She sighed through her nose. Pity.

The line moved up and it was Aysel’s turn to order. She pulled her headphones down and the sounds of the loud coffeeshop filled her ears like shattered glass. She rubbed her hands, grounding herself with the sensation, and flicked her gaze to the boy’s name tag. She tilted her head and gazed at him, assessing. “Is Nate short for Nathan or Nathaniel?”

The boy’s dark eyebrow quirked up, his depthless eyes lit with amusement. “Nathaniel.”  _Called it._ Leaning towards her, Nate splayed his colorful inked hands on the countertop and smiled. “And what can I get you?”

Aysel twisted her ring and glanced at the chalkboard menu behind Nate’s head. She tilted her head and hummed. “I need…one Mocha Frappe with two shots of expresso with caramel drizzle and an iced caramel mocha with extra caramel and a caramel favor shot.” She paused. “Oh! And a Java Chip Frappuccino. Extra chocolate chips.”

Nate whistled lowly, “Wow, someone has a sweet tooth,” as he moved to the stacks of clear plastic cups. He cast his eyes to her in question. “Size?”

It took her a second to realize he what he meant. Aysel smiled, “My brother has a debilitating addiction to sugar and I picked up the habit. And venti please.”

Nate bit his lip, “Brother, huh?” as he plucked the cups from the stacks. “He go to school here?” Nate took the sharpie from behind his ear and poised to write. “Name?”

“He’s a freshman, just like me. In fact, one of these drinks is his.” Aysel said, “and the name is Aysel Archeron.” She leaned on her toes and looked at him write her name. “Oh good. You spelled it right the first time. I swear, the number of people who spell it wrong is embarrassingly high.”

Nate tipped his head back and laughed before sliding his sharpie back behind his ear, giving her the price. After she paid, he nodded down to the tables. “Why don’t you go head and take a seat, Aysel. I’ll have these for you in a few.”

She pulled her headphones back on and gave him a curling wave as she went to her seat and plopped down. She looked at the silverware at her table and began arranging them.

* * *

 

Artemis looked around the coffee shop before landing his eyes on Aysel. The girl was wearing a long-sleeved deep purple laced shirt beneath a shredded one; a braid ran down one side of her head with the rest teased and down her back. No makeup adorned her face; just the two small silver piercings at her lip, the one in her nose and the trail of earrings on her ears. How the hell did she manage to be  _that_  fucking pretty at eight in the morning, with _out_  makeup?

He pushed past a few exiting students and made his way to his roommate and sat across from her. Pulling her headphones down, she carefully arranged the silverware before putting her attention on him. “Are you a boy or girl right now, Artemis?”

Artemis marveled at how easy the past week with the girl had been. Her blunt questions had been refreshing; so much better than the forced polite ones he had come accustomed to. “Boy.” He looked at the carefully arranged silverware. “Why do you do that?” He had seen Aysel arranging silverware every morning when they came into the coffeeshop.

Aysel gave him a thoughtful look. “I like the repetition. At home, I was the one who set up the dinner table for breakfast and for supper. Breaks in routine make me nervous and it helps with all the noise. Does it bother you?” There was an undercurrent of worry- and challenge- in her blue-grey eyes.

Artemis shook his head. “No! I was just curious.” He touched her hand and gave her a smile. “I’ve never met an Autistic person before.”

Aysel smiled. “Well, I’ve never met a gender-fluid person before either, so I guess we’re even.” Artemis smiled and Aysel tilted her head. “You like Java Chip Frappuccinos right?”

Artemis blinked. “Yes. Yes, I do. How did you know that?”

 Aysel tapped her temple with a finger, her deep purple nails sparkled in the morning sun bleeding through the window.  “Because I’m observant. You had one of those drinks when I met your parents. Plus had one the other day when you came back to the dorm.” She held up a credit card between two fingers. “I bought you one.” She grinned. “You’re welcome by the way.”

“Oh, thank Jesus.” He slumped back in his chair and blew a strand of dark hair from his eyes. Artemis was about as useful as a lump of dirt without a boost in the morning. “Aysel Archeron. I could kiss you.”

She rose a groomed brow and leaned back, flinging an arm around the back of her chair. “You got to buy me dinner first.” She tilted her head. “And I warn you, I’m not a cheap date.” He snorted.

Artemis leaned forward on his elbows. “Okay, no offense but I have your mother as one of my teachers and she’s…umm…” He searched for a word. He didn’t just want to say he disliked her mom. It was after all…her mom. “A little cold.”

“Cold? It’s August.” She blinked. “Oh! You mean she’s a bitch.” He had forgotten how literal Aysel was. Artemis made a mental note to ask his mother more about Autism. His roommate waved him off. “Trust me. I know. I once got a C- on one of my exams and I got grounded so fast.” She sighed. “I always got along better with my dad. My brother, who has straight A’s, is the one who gets along with my mom.” With the impression Artemis got of Bay, he didn’t doubt her. Bay seemed cold and aloof, just like their mother; Like called to like. Aysel leaned forward, twisting the ring on her finger. “Trust me though, if you need help in her class, she’s firm, but fair.” She held up a hand. “Wait. Is it Classic Literature?”

Surprise flashed through him. “Yeah.”

She clasped her hands together and tilted her head back and laughed. “Oh god. I have that class too.” She leaned forward and poked his arm. “Wanna be study buddies? I have an in with the professor.”

“Sure,” he laughed. “God knows I need all the help I can get.”

 A boy in black jeans and black tee-shirt and tattoos came up and sat the drinks on the table, grinning at his roommate. “Here you go, Aysel. Here’s your drinks.”

Artemis stared at him with wide eyes. If there was such thing as lust at first sight, he was sure he had it. He would do such unspeakable things to this boy. “Um, hello. You’re gorgeous?”

The boy turned to him, his dark eyes filled with deep amusement. He smiled widely, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Actually, I’m Nate. Are you the brother with a sweet tooth?” Aysel’s hands flew to her mouth to stop from laughing.

 Artemis laced his light brown fingers and looked up at him with a serene smile. “Well. I  _do_  have a sweet tooth but alas I am not the brother. Care to make an exception?”

Nate chuckled and he shook his head; his black hair falling in his face.  He curled it back behind his ear. “Oh, you’re fun.” He looked back at Aysel and grinned. “I got to head back. Enjoy your drinks. Tell your brother to enjoy his.” Artemis’s brows shot up and he looked at Aysel.  _Bay?_

Aysel’s expression was considerate as they watched Nate head back to behind the counter before turning back to each other and laughing. Artemis slammed his hand on the table. “Holy hell, he’s fucking  _hot_.”

Aysel leaned back and crossed her arms, pouting. “I know. And I’m pretty sure he’s  _gay_.”

* * *

 

Evangeline twisted her curly red-gold hair into a messy bun as she waltzed out of her bedroom. She found her roommates talking quietly at the counter, drinking coffee. She hummed loudly before rubbing her hands together. “Well, ladies. It’s that time of year again.”

Biela lifted her mug to her lips and raised a groomed brow.  “You mean where we develop an unhealthy relationship with coffee and anxiety to pass class? I agree.” Dacia snorted.

“Very funny,” Evangeline said, splaying her hands on the counter. “We having our back to school party? I’ve already gotten calls.” Somehow, she and her roommates had become notorious for their parties. Evangeline did enjoy having a good time. It was always interesting to see what people would do when plied with alcohol.

Dacia sat down her coffee cup, clicking her black nails on the smooth marble. She slid her green eyes to Biela. “What do you say, Bea? We throwing one this year?”

Biela sat down her mug and gave one of her rare smiles to Dacia before sliding her steely eyes to her. “Well. We can’t exactly disappoint the masses, can we?”

 Evangeline pulled a stool up and smiled at her roommates. Dacia slid her a cup of coffee. “Milk and sugar. Just the way you like it.” Dacia’s smile stretched into a wolfish smile, lighting up her eyes. “Okay, I  _actually_ have the weekend off. So, Saturday night?”

Evangeline could see Biela bring her cup to her lips, hiding her excitement. She smiled at Dacia, taking the coffee cup from her. “I’m free. I have the weekend off. I train the new nurses aid Friday.” She looked at Biela with raised brows. “You have your recital coming up, right?”

Her roommate put her coffee cup down and gave her a wicked grin. “As a matter of fact, I do. It’s  _next_  Saturday.” She splayed her hands on the counter and stood. “Leaving this weekend wide open.”

 Dacia clasped her hands together and spun around on her stool, her golden hair falling out of its loose braid. “Yes! We haven’t had one of our parties in forever!” Evangeline laughed.

Biela pushed her ebony hair over her shoulder, showing the expansion of her golden throat. “I got the drinks covered.” Her eyes flicked to Dacia. “Music?” When Dacia nodded, Biela looked to her. “People?” She brought her cup to her lips and nodded. “Well ladies, lets kick off the new school year right.”

* * *

Ash followed Bay through the parking lot towards the coffeeshop. He watched a dark-haired girl blatantly undress Bay with her eyes and bite her lip as she past with her friend. He could hear the girls whispering as they walked past him. Bay didn’t so much as give them a second look- or even a first look- as he carried on. Was he  _blind_?  

Ash’s brows raised, watching the girls, before jogging to catch up with his brother. He elbowed him. “Dude, she was totally checking you out.”

Bay’s ears flushed red and he shrugged. “What’s your point? A lot of girls check me out. I’m a hockey player.” Ash marveled at the matter-of-factness in his voice. He wasn’t sure if Bay was aware of how attractive he really was or if he just didn’t care. God knew the man had little care about the clothes he wore. Ash elbowed him again and Bay stopped and pulled his sucker out of his mouth. “Okay, if you do that again, before I’ve had my coffee, I’m going to shove your arm so far up your ass you’ll taste your fingers.”

 Ash scoffed and crossed his arms. “You need to get yourself laid. Maybe then you’d stop being such a dick.” He pointed after the girl. “And I bet  _she_  could help get that stick out of your ass.”

Bay rolled his eyes and looked at his phone. “Is that your medical opinion, Ashton, or do you just need to hear yourself talk?”

“I’m serious! We’re in  _college_ , Bay. You’re allowed to have a little bit of fun.” Ash shoved his hands in his pocket. “I know you think you have all of this pressure on you to be the best at everything but you’re more wound than a fucking top. And it’s only the fourth day of classes.”

Bay’s drive to succeed at everything frustrated Ash to no end. He knew most of his reasoning was so Cassian and Nesta didn’t think it was a mistake taking him in. He just wished Bay would see that he was safe, that he didn’t have to worry about losing a second family. Or that they weren’t going to hurt him like he’s been hurt before.

Ash’s eyes went involuntarily to Bay’s arms; to the long sleeves that always covered them. He remembered the first time he saw the scars. He had seen them by accident; walking in Bay’s room while he was pulling a shirt on. He had stared in horror at the dozens of rounded burns branded into his golden skin. Bay had just pushed him out of his room and locked the door. He had tried getting Bay to tell him who had done it but Bay had told him to drop it in the most detached, cold tone he had ever heard from him. It had unnerved him enough he never brought it up again. As far as he knew, Bay refused to tell even Nesta or Aysel. The man had more secrets than a Dalmatian had spots. It was fucking annoying.

 Ash tore his gaze from Bay’s arms before he realized Ash was staring. Bay shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked up at him with weary eyes.  “Ash. I have fun. Just because I’m not as obsessed with girls as you are, doesn’t mean I don’t.”

 Ash crossed his arms, glaring down at him. “You are either playing hockey, reading or doing homework.” He gestured to his sucker. “Or eating that fucking candy. None of that constitutes fun. Girls.  _Girls_ constitute as fun.”

Bay opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Aysel and her friend came up to them, handing Bay a coffee drink. His brother took it, something like pure ecstasy passed his face as he took a drink. “Thank you, Aysel.” He flicked his eyes over to Aysel’s friend. “Hey, Artemis.”

Artemis smiled and readjusted his backpack, pulling his hair behind him. “The barista inside told us to tell you to enjoy your drink. I think he likes your choice in caffeine.” He motioned to the coffeehouse. “You should go say hi. He’s really hot.” Aysel looked at Bay with thoughtfulness.

Bay nearly dropped his drink, blood draining from his face; his freckles fading. “Maybe next time.” The words rushed out of his mouth and Ash rose a brow. Bay wasn’t one to be flustered so easily. At least he hadn’t  _thought_  so. Bay glanced down at his phone and looked between them all; looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. “I got to go. Hockey practice.”

* * *

Caius was half way down the Freshman hall with Rhoe when the sprinkler alarm went off. He hauled off running, there was no way in hell he was going to let his books or laptop get ruined. He knew Rhoe was right behind him.

They got out to the greens, the sun beating down on them despite it only being thirty past eight in the morning. God, he hated the heat. He flicked his eyes to Rhoe. His roommate’s silver hair was plastered to his face; mild annoyance filled his face as he pulled at the sugar skull graphic tee that clung to his torso.

“Can I get everyone’s attention, please?” Caius turned to find one of the administrators walking through the crowd of barely dressed boys. “The communal restroom for the Freshman class hall has been closed due to a cherry bomb in the pipes.”

Caius tipped his head back and groaned. Just lovely. Rhoe poked him and tapped his lips before pointing to the administrator.  _Shit_. Caius relayed the message to Rhoe through clumsy signing.

Rhoe held up a hand before pulling out his cell phone and quickly typed before showing him the screen.  **DID YOU JUST SAY THERE WAS A BOMB IN THE BATHROOM?**

Caius nodded and the administrator continued talking. “The freshman will need to use the athletic center’s facilities until the matter has been solved. I am sorry for the inconvenience. We will have the restrooms up and running as soon as we can.”

Caius turned to Rhoe and took his phone and typed:  **WE HAVE TO GO TO THE ATHLETIC CENTER UNTIL ITS FIXED.**

Rhoe read it and he tipped his head back and sighed. Personally, he would have found the whole thing hilarious if he didn’t have very expensive soaking sneakers or that he had to walk all the way across campus to get clean. And with the gleam in Rhoe’s eyes, so would he.

Caius shoved his hands into his jeans and gazed at him. He has been around him enough the past week to notice a scheming face when he saw one. He pulled out his hand and tapped his temple with a finger, signing:  _What are you thinking_?

* * *

Rhoe studied Caius, debating or not to tell his roommate about one of his favorite hobbies. He  _had_  promised his mother he would cut down on the illegal activity but he knew with a few minutes with a computer he could hack into the security cameras to get to the culprit responsible for him having to trek all the way across the campus to get clean.

The past week with Caius, it had been fun. He hadn’t really had a friend who had been hearing; granted he hadn’t had many friends to begin with. Even in his school, he was more of an outsider than most. He had one true friend, a deaf friend. Ryan-

Rhoe shut down the memory violently. He didn’t need to be slammed into grief. Not when he had barely survived a year without his best friend. He cocked his head and cast an artist’s eye over Caius. He  _was_ rather pretty; straight nose, high cheekbones and raven black hair with bright violet eyes. Not to mention he was very…fit. He practically oozed sensuality. He’d be perfect.  _How good are you at providing a distraction_?

Caius rose a groomed brow, his lips curling into a smirk as he signed:  _You need a distraction?_

Rhoe suppressed a groan and rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed was Caius in his pants. It would destroy the carefully crafted lies he had weaved years before. He signed slowly, so Caius could understand him. His signing was improving, but he still took a bit to read it:  _Not that kind of distraction_.  _I need you to keep security busy while I break into the school’s security main frame to find the bastard who bombed our restrooms._

Caius’s lips widened into a dazzling smile, his eyes lit with mischief. Rhoe would bet anything that smile got him out of trouble more often than words or money ever did. It was truly magnificent.  _What’s the plan?_

* * *

Biela rested her foot on the ledge of the porcelain tub and studied it. She needed to have her feet to be in pristine condition for the recital coming up. She had worked too hard and too long to get the spot of Odette. She wasn’t going to let a blister get in her way.

“Biela?”

She tightened her towel and looked behind her. Dacia stood at the doorway, her golden hair falling loosely around her. Biela felt her mouth go dry. Dacia had eyes like crushed leaves and hair as golden as the sun. She was like the incarnation of Spring.  It made her heart race through every inch of her. Dacia’s eyes went to her foot before flicking them to meet hers. “Want some help? Blisters are a pain,” she smiled, “as you well know.”

Biela motioned for her to come in. She watched Dacia grab the supplies and sat on the edge of the tub, gingerly taking Biela’s foot in her hands. There weren’t many she would trust with her feet. She was a dancer and her feet were crucial to her performance. But Dacia, she was a dancer as well. She knew.

“Does it hurt?”

Biela shrugged. “Not really. But I figured I should get the blister taken care of before the recital. I can’t perform well if I have one. It’ll hinder my performance.” Dacia hummed and pulled a needle out sterilized packaging and popped the sore. Biela flicked her eyes up from her foot to Dacia’s face and swallowed. “Cia.”

 “Yes?” Dacia let the blister drain before covering it with a band aid with gentle fingers.

“Would you like to come to my recital? I have an extra ticket.” She actually bought the ticket specifically for Dacia. But she wasn’t about to admit it. Not when her mother barred her from being with Dacia. Ice filled her veins. She was so  _tired_  of pretending she didn’t feel anything for the woman. Her mother couldn’t keep her from being with whoever she wanted. She didn’t care if Dacia was Tamlin and Ianthe’s daughter. She didn’t care if Dacia was an exotic dancer or if she was ‘damaged’. She was good and kind and beautiful. 

Her heart lodged in her throat as Dacia looked up at her, surprised. “Really?”

Biela watched Dacia wrap athletic tape around her foot. “Yeah. I know you usually have to work, but-“

“Yes.” Dacia sat her foot in her lap. Biela was painfully aware of Dacia’s long fingers resting on her ankle. Dacia’s lips stretched into a wide smile, lighting up her green eyes. “I would love to see you dance, Biela.”

* * *

Dex watched as his roommate came into the locker rooms. It was the first meeting between the players. He and Bay had barely spoken to each other; unless it was to fuck with Ash Archeron Vanserra. The man had more guards up than most people Dex had ever met.

Bay’s eyes scanned the entire room full of players before locking on him. “Are there any stalls to change in?” Bay’s voice was tinged with a southern tang.

Dex blinked and then slowly shook his head. As far as he knew, there weren’t any really, besides the ones with the toilets. But they were too small to be able to change freely in. Bay’s shoulders sagged. “Of course not.”

Dex nodded to the locker beside him and pulled the paper with Bay’s locker combination out of his pocket and placed it in Bay’s hand. “Dad said your locker was next to mine.”

Bay looked down at the paper before sliding his eyes to the locker beside him then to him. “Thanks.”

Bay went around him and opened his locker and looked in. He put his duffle on the bench behind him and pulled his black hoodie off, then his long-sleeved shirt. Dex was about to ask him why the hell he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt  _and a_ hoodie in this weather but then he saw the faint scars stretching across his defined back and the burns to his arms; he could see eight of the burns in his line of vision.  _Who the hell did that to you?_

Bay shot him a cold warning look as he pulled his practice jersey on with near inhuman speed. “Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”

Dex rose his brows and crossed his arms. “I wasn’t going to.” As long as he wasn’t being hurt  _now,_ it was none of his business. And as long as it didn’t interfere with his ability to play, he didn’t care. Bay rose a brow, showing he very much didn’t believe him. He supposed he was used to people intruding on his space; specifically, Ash. “I wasn’t. But you know my dad is.” He was a school official. He was obligated. He’d most likely send him to the school psychologist; make sure he was of sound mind to be able to play.

Bay looked behind him to see his father, Lorcan Salvaterre, looking at his back with crossed arms. His father’s face was a mask of cold fury. Bay turned back around and sighed deeply as he shoved his stuff in his locker. “Fantastic,” he muttered under his breath.

Adrien Verrum came up and stood beside his father. His face was carefully blank, his massive arms crossed over his chest. He and Adrien had hung out the past few days. Dex enjoyed his more lethal quiet than Ash’s annoying commentary. Finally, someone who didn’t annoy the hell out of him.

As the rest of his teammates finished changing, his father began talking. “My name is Lorcan Salvaterre Lochan. I am your coach this year since your former coach Wayne Orr has retired. It is my goal to push you to be your best and to take you all to Nationals.” Lorcan’s eyes rested on Bay for a fraction of a second before sweeping across the room. “Each of you are required to see the school psychologist and nurse for your evaluations.” A chorus of groans came from his teammates along with a dark look from Bay. “Whine all you want. You’ll either do it or you’ll be benched until you do. It’s your choice.”

Lorcan looked to Adrien. The latter looked between them all with a cold, level look. “My name is Adrien Verrum. I play goalie and am also your team captain. During off season, we’ll have practice after school at six in the evening. When the season starts up, expect to also have practice at six in the morning as well.” There were few grumbles but most of them were used to being up early for practice to begin with. “I have zero tolerance with bullying of any kind; I find out you’re being an asshole to someone without provocation, I will bench your ass.”

“Your grades must be at a B average to qualify to play. If you are having difficulty with your classes, you come to me or to the coach and we’ll work with you to make sure your grades stay above the red line.” Adrien locked eyes with some of the older players in the room. “There are biweekly drug tests. If you fail, if there is something in your system that should not be there, you are off my team. I will not have a repeat of last year. Understood?”

Dex remembered the stories from the year before. One of the star players had gotten caught with not only steroids but heroin in his system. It had cost them nationals. It was why the former coach had ‘retired’.

His father looked between all of them. “Set up your appointments. Since were not allowing you on the ice yet, were going to do weights.”

* * *

Bay followed the others out of the room, only for Lorcan to stop him. Bay waited for everyone to get out of ear shot before he crossed his arms and glared up at the man. Was there a particular reason he needed to be a fucking  _giant_?

“I already see a psychiatrist,” Bay snapped. “I don’t need to see a psychologist too. Can’t I just have mine sign off on me?” He didn’t want  _another_  person in his head. It was crowded and dark enough without someone tearing his psyche apart, asking him questions he did  _not_ want to answer. His psychiatrist mostly dealt with his illnesses and didn’t bring up his past. Not like psychologists did.

Lorcan shook his head and Bay rubbed his temples in frustration. “Like I said, the school needs to sign off on you, mind and body before we let you out on that ice. Everything is confidential and you don’t have to answer questions you aren’t comfortable with.”

 He highly doubted that. He knew how psychologists worked. Spending time in a mental hospital made him wary of them. Fake smiles, fake caring. They only cared about you because they were paid to. That was how it was and how it always would be.

 “How many times do I have to see her?”

“Just the once,” Lorcan said. He hesitated slightly. “Although Lysandra is available to the students all year round, just in case you need to talk.” 

Un-Fucking-likely. “Fine. I’ll go.” He hoped Lysandra liked silence, because that was exactly what he was going to give her.

* * *

As Caius distracted the guards, Rhoe snuck into the security rooms and with a few algorithms, he managed to get into the security mainframe and to the security cameras that were stationed in the freshman hall. It was like they  _wanted_ him to get into their system. The school really should upgrade their cyber security.

After a few minutes of searching, Rhoe found him. He had seen the man around the hall. He was also a senior. Money would bet he did it as some kind of hazing. With a little bit of extorting, maybe he could get the man to let the freshmen use their bathrooms.

Looking over his shoulder, Rhoe checked for the guards. He had to keep looking, since he couldn’t go off sounds to keep himself hidden. He checked his phone also, looking for messages from Caius. He was supposed to text him, just in case the security guards came back down to the room.

Not being there, Rhoe quickly printed off the picture and shoved it in his pocket and searched the school roster to see which dorm he lived in. He prayed to god he wasn’t making that much noise. He slipped out of the room and got down the hall and texted Caius.

* * *

“I’m telling you,” Caius exclaimed. “There  _is_ a raccoon in here! I saw it!”

It was a stupid cover. But the idiots were dumb enough to think that a racoon somehow got past the administration’s office and up the stairs and into the restroom. It was their own stupidity that got them wasting their time.

The security guards pushed open each of the stalls and looked around. The bigger of the two men glowered at him. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing kid, but if I find out-“

His pocket buzzed. It was Rhoe. He was out. Caius swept through the restroom with trepidation and looked in the garbage can. “Oh! It would seem I imagined it.” He gestured to it and gave the men his best smile, tinged with embarrassment and sheepishness. “I apologize. I thought I saw something.”

The smaller of the two security guards huffed and turned on his heels and headed back to what he assumed was the control room. The larger one came up to him and placed his hand on his baton. “Listen to me kid, you are spitting image of your father and I will not have another one of your family make chaos of my school. You understand me?”

Caius shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled, ignoring the pounding in his chest. “Sir, I am a perfect, straight A student who has come to this fine establishment to do nothing but learn and prepare for my future.” He was lying through his teeth and they both knew it. His smile widened at the narrowing of the man’s eyes. “My father is a well renowned business man, including the  _mayor_ , as well a pillar of the community. I assure you, I I have been raised as nothing less than a perfect gentleman.”

The man turned on his heel. He could hear him grumbling as he plodded down the hallway. “Smart ass. I’m getting too old for this shit.”

As soon as the guard was out of his line of vision, Caius pulled out his phone and looked at the screen:  **WE’RE CLEAR**

Caius let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He had been worried Rhoe would have gotten caught, that someone would have come up behind him and he’d have to explain why he was in the control room. He was an idiot for worrying; it was obvious Rhoe had done something like this before. He looked around the space as he texted:  **WHERE R U? I’LL HEAD UR WAY**

Rhoe sent him his destination and he headed there. He found Rhoe standing against a wall with his arms and ankles crossed and a smirk on his face as he watched the people walk around him. He wondered what it was like, to be deaf and to watch life go on without the sounds to accompany it. It unnerved him a bit; the kind of strength he must have to go to a school that was a hundred percent hearing.

Rhoe’s gold-rimmed eyes slid to him and he jerked his head to follow. He trailed Rhoe through the administration office and towards the greens outside. He looked at his roommate, his friend, and felt himself start to crack up and soon he was laughing. So was Rhoe.

After a few minutes of hysterical laughter, Rhoe pulled out a crumpled photo; a surveillance photo. He took the photo from him as Rhoe signed:  _This is who bombed the restrooms. The jackass was too stupid to try to be inconspicuous about it._

Wait. What? He hadn’t caught the word. Rhoe must have seen the confusion in his face because he signed: i-n- _c-o-n-s-p-i-c-u-o-u-s._

_Oh_. Caius looked back at the photo. The man had dark brown hair and startling blue eyes, was about twenty-one years old. He was rather cute. Caius flicked his eyes back to Rhoe. The man’s eyes were on him, thoughtful.

Caius folded the paper and slid it into his back pocket and smiled at him before signing:  _Let’s get our blackmail on_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is part three, so sorry that it took so long to get this done!! Comments are welcome and help motivate me to write faster :)


	4. Chapter 4

Caius wondered if the dark-haired man was going to be perceptible to his charms as he got him to do what he wanted. Many-a-boys had fallen prey to Caius’s easy sensual smile. He supposed it was one of the perks of being the son of Rhysand Salutis. His father was known for getting his way with just a few smiles…unless it was his mother. She wasn’t as perceptible to his charms.

Caius knocked on the boy’s door before shoving his hands in his pockets. He was aware of Rhoe’s gold-rimmed eyes fleeting between him and the door. He liked the boy’s eyes and the silver pale lashes framing them. They saw everything.

A shirtless boy answered the door, his dark hair messy and crystal blue eyes glittering as he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. Caius was suddenly struck with how pretty the boy was and the sculpted muscle:  _Wow_.

Caius batted away the thought and dug the surveillance photo out of his pocket and showed it to him. “Looks like you, no?”

The boy took the photo and surveyed it before curling his full lips into a smile. “That could be anyone.”

Next to him Rhoe signed rapidly. Caius took note of how the boy’s slender fingers moved. They were deceptively smooth but he could see the paint beneath his fingernails. The former boy looked at Rhoe beneath furrowed brows before looking at him. “What’s he saying?”

Rhoe frowned and Caius shook his head. “You could just ask him. He’s the one who said it to begin with and he’s right here.”

The boy winced realizing his mistake. He apologized to Rhoe and Rhoe rolled his eyes and waved him off. Caius shoved his hands in his pockets as he gave the boy a lazy smile. “We have ample evidence of you entering and leaving the Freshman’s restrooms minutes before the cherry bombs went off,” Caius lied smoothly.

 He marveled at how easy it was for him to lie. Granted he had other preferable hobbies that he enjoyed more with his tongue but it helped having a silver one when working a con against a student three years older than him.

The man’s eyebrow inched upward and he tilted his head. “Is that so?”

“It is so,” Caius agreed. “We’re prepared to go to the dean with information like this. I’m sure the Fire Drake would love to get her hands on you. Maybe she’ll pick your bones with her teeth. I’m sure you taste delicious.”

“I’m sure I do as well,” the boy smirked. “But how about we not get her involved? It’s dorm tradition to prank the newbies. You should be happy you were a part of such a tradition.”

Rhoe’s silver brow rose and he signed at the boy. Caius snorted at the blank look the older boy gave them and relayed the message for his roommate. “’It’s easy for you to say, you’re not the ones who have to trek across campus at six in the morning.’”

 “Okay, okay,” the boy said. “How about this: A Dorm Triathlon. Three events and the winners get the use of the upperclassmen restroom; loser gets the Athletic Center.”

Caius looked at Rhoe with raised brows and gauged what the silver haired boy was thinking. Rhoe nodded once and turned back to the upperclassman and signed. Caius translated for him. “’An obstacle course, a drinking game and a game of handball. Saturday afternoon. You in?’”

The boy’s eyes sparkled and he nodded. “I’m in. I’m Jackson, by the way. You can call me Jax.”

He grinned. “I’m Caius, this is Rhoe.”                                    

After exchanging information, he and Rhoe left. They made it five minutes before Rhoe poked him and signed:  _Did you say he would taste delicious?_

Caius grinned.  _Yes_.

Rhoe snorted and shook his head, his silvery hair falling over his eyes.  _I thought so but I thought that maybe I read your lips wrong. Do you always fraternize with the enemy?_

He wiggled his eyebrows.  _Only when they’re really hot._

Rhoe laughed.

* * *

Connie walked arm and arm with her twin, perfectly content to let her ramble on about the party on Saturday night. Sammi whirled on her, her red aviator sunglasses sparking in the sunshine. Her twin cocked her head, her golden curls twisted high up in her hair with a set of chopsticks.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with? I’m sure there’s going to be some cute boys.” She smiled. “Or maybe a cute girl.”

Connie shook her head. She hadn’t had any interest in either sex in high school, not like her sister; she had been more focused on her friendships. Connie played with the bracelets at her wrist as they walked across campus. “I think I’ll stay in and watch a movie. I still haven’t seen  _The Breakfast Club_ yet.”

One would think with the amount of time she spent watching Netflix and binging on popcorn she would have seen the movie by now. Instead she just watched repeats of Friends and bad television. Wow she needed a life. But a party? Way too many people for her taste. She honestly didn’t know how her twin thrived on it.

“I’ll watch it with you. I don’t need to go to the party. There’ll be others.”

Connie caught her twin’s hands in hers, guilt panging in her chest. “Samaentha Blackbeak you are going to go to that party or else I will be very cross with you. You deserve to have a bit of fun. I’ll be okay. Anyways, I think Nadia will be there to keep me company.”

Sammi tipped her head back and laughed. “Okay, okay. I wouldn’t want my wolf of a twin to be angry with me. If it’s not too late, I’ll stop by and see if you’re still up.”

Connie smiled. “We both know if things go according to plan, you’ll be a little busy.” Sammi snorted and hooked arms with her. “You tend to get cranky when you haven’t been laid in a while.”

“How rude,” Sammi scoffed. “I am a ray of fucking sunshine every second of every day whether I have or haven’t gotten any.”

* * *

Caius made his way down the Freshman hall. He went over the list of freshmen athletes Rhoe had gotten his hands on. Honestly, he made his own acts of debauchery seem like nothing. He made his way to room 3A and knocked on the door.

He could hear the song  _The Game_ by Disturbed playing in the room. It was nearly a minute and a half of waiting before the door opened revealing a five-foot-five boy with ash hair and hard hazel green eyes and light freckles. He had cheekbones that could cut glass and a sucker in his mouth. The boy’s long sleeved black shirt clung to his torso, leaving little to the imagination as to what was under said shirt and a set of dog tags around his neck and a pair of dark jeans. Caius openly checked him out and the boy folded his arms over his chest, his ears and cheeks bright red.

“Who are you,” the boy said, his eyes going past him to the hall, searching the area. His face was calm and bored but Caius didn’t miss the alertness behind his eyes or his shoulders poised to fight either. He was willing to bet the boy would be able to either fight or flight in seconds.  _Damn paranoid much?_

“You Baylor?” The boy stiffened almost imperceptibly.

“Bay,” he said. “Call me Bay. But you didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”

Caius could smell the coffee the boy was drinking. It was loaded with sugar. “I’m Caius.” The boy gazed at him in silence. He took that as his cue to respond with why he just showed up out of the blue. “You’re listed as one of the fastest freshmen on campus.”

Bay leaned against the doorframe, folding his corded arms across his chest, the tips of ears darkening even further. “Yeah, and?”    

“I found a way to free us from the Athletic center and it involves your help.”

 Bay tilted his head, his ashy hair falling over his eyes, obscuring the tops of his wire-framed glasses. “I already use the athletic center every morning, but, I’m listening. How can I help?”

 “A friend and I found the person responsible for the bombing of the freshman bathroom and we’ve come to an agreement that whichever hall can win in a triathlon, will get the use of their bathrooms while ours is being fixed. One of the events is an obstacle course. Would you be willing to run it?”

 “When is it?”

“Saturday afternoon.”

 Bay thought it over. Caius used that time to look Bay over. He was short and built and was very cute. But he couldn’t get much of a read on him or his personality other than the aura of athleticism and darkness around him.  According to his file, he was a defenseman for the hockey team and he had been in track all throughout his high school years. And he had been in plenty of fights in school. That explained the dark aura around him. 

“Sure,” Bay said. “Sounds like fun.” He pulled a sharpie from back behind his ear and held out his hand. “Give me your hand.” Caius did as told and Bay took his hand. It was unsurprisingly warm. He wrote a set of numbers on Caius’s hand. “Call me Saturday morning when you have a location and I’ll come. I’ll bring Ash and Dex, my roommates. They’re fast too.”

Caius grinned. “Thanks.”

 “No problem. What are the other events?”

Caius rubbed the back of his neck. “A drinking game and handball. You interested in either of those as well?”

Bay smiled a little. It was cold. “Sure. Are any of the girls going to be at these events?”

 Caius rose a brow. “Probably to watch. I’m sure they won’t miss an opportunity to see any shirtless guys climbing through mud. I know I wouldn’t. Why?”

Bay shuffled a little, his ears still red. Either the boy was flustered over the idea of shirtless boys or the idea of girls watching him. Honestly, he had no idea which it was and it irked him something fierce.

 “Just wondering,” Bay said. He looked behind him, his shoulders sagging a little. “I got some homework to do. There anything else?”

“Nope.”  
  
Bay nodded and went back into his dorm leaving Caius standing in the hall. He stared at the boy’s door for half a minute, trying to piece together Bay. He got no read on him and he was pretty good at pegging people. “Oh well,” Caius muttered. At least he got him to agree to help.

* * *

Adrien flicked his cigarette and looked down at the campus below. He watched the people usher in and out of the building like ants. He crushed the butt beneath his boot and looked at Dex. The boy’s arms are folded over his chest as he looked down as well. “You going to the party on Saturday?”

Dex looked at him and cocked his head. “Planning to. What about you?”

Adrien tipped his head back and sighed, squinting at the sun. “No. I need to study for a test coming up and then I’m heading to the rink.”

 “Want some company?”

Adrien shook his head. “Nah, I probably won’t be in the mood to deal with people.” That was how it usually was after he studied. He’d get so frustrated with his schoolwork and need to be alone with the ice and his skates to blow off steam. He flicked his eyes to Dex. “What about you? You’re starting tutoring soon aren’t you?”

 “Yeah. Some chick named Samaentha. Apparently, she’s majoring in linguistics and is tutoring French.”

Adrien’s lips curled into a smirk. “Linguistics? I bet she’s good with her tongue then.”

Dex tipped his head back and laughed. “Yeah, probably. The teacher said that she’ll introduce us on Monday. Hopefully the girl is good and my grade doesn’t suffer.”

“How are your other classes going? Any of them you need help in?”

“Nope. Just this one.”

“Good. Let me know if you do and I’ll make sure you pass. We need you in the lineup and can’t afford to bench you next Saturday.” Dex nodded. “How are you doing with your roommates? Ash still being a pain in the ass?”

Dex snorted. “Yeah and I’ve come close to leveling him but Bay keeps getting in the way. The little bastard is fucking fast. I’m just waiting for the day Ash does something stupid and gets on Bay’s bad side, then my day will be made when Bay puts his fist through Ash’s teeth.”

 Adrien laughed. “How are you and Bay getting along? He doesn’t talk to much of the team off the ice. It’s hard to get a read on him.”

* * *

Dex thought about the scars he saw on Bay’s arms and back and the hard look that seemed to be permanently on his face. Bay was quiet. But it wasn’t a natural kind of quiet. It was a learned kind. One where something happened and it changed you fundamentally.

His pocket buzzed and Dex pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “Well, well. Speak of the devil and he shall come.”

Adrien rose a brow and put a cigarette between his teeth and lit it. “Bay?”

Dex looked at the message.  **NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING. YOU FREE?**

Dex dialed Bay’s number and brought the phone to his ear. Bay answered right after the first ring. “ _Hey, what are you doing Saturday_?”

“Party,” Dex said. “Why? You asking me on a date?”

“ _No_ ,” Bay said flatly. Did he strike a chord? “ _I got approached by some guy named Caius wanting to know if I wanted to be a part of some dorm triathlon and I thought I’d ask you if you wanted to too_.”

“And it’s on Saturday?”

“ _Yeah, Saturday afternoon. Although Ash is planning on coming so I don’t know if you’ll be able to do it without trying to deck him_.”

“You tell Ash to mind his mouth and I’ll mind my fists,” Dex said. Adrien snorted.

“ _That would be like trying to nail jello to a tree_ ,” Bay muttered.

Dex snorted. “What are we doing?”

“ _There’s three events. Obstacle course, some drinking game and handball. Winner gets the Upperclassmen’s bathroom while ours is being fixed_.”

“I’m game.”

“ _Good. I’ll text you when I find out where it is_.”

Bay hung up and Dex shoved his phone into his back pocket and leaned back against the side of the building. He looked at Adrien, picking up the conversation. “We’re getting along pretty well. His quiet is a thousand times better than some people I know. I want to know how the hell that arrogant ginger sonofabitch is friends with him.”

Adrien took a long drag of his cigarette, the end burning bright orange. “Maybe they’re fucking. God knows sex tends to make people more tolerable.”

 “If that’s the case it must be piss-poor sex with the perpetual bad mood Bay is always in.” Adrien choked on a laugh and Dex folded his arms across his chest. “Maybe we could drag Bay with us to a bar or something to loosen him up. Maybe he’ll meet someone. He’s good looking enough.”

“Fine by me. He’d probably play better if he got laid.”

“Probably,” Dex agreed.

* * *

Ash walked through the halls of the nursing him, checking for call-lights. When he found none, he went to the Nurses station where the nurses aid he was shadowing waited for him. Evangeline Ashryver.

 He leaned against the doorframe, his ankles and arms crossed as he watched the girl doing her paperwork, her red-gold curls high up in a ponytail. He looked at the stark, thick scars on her cheeks and felt a tight coil of anger sit in his stomach as he thought about how she got them.

They had to be pretty old, the scars. Probably happened when she was eight or nine. The thought of someone doing something like this to a child had Ash wanting to forget about the Hippocrates oath and take the ones responsible apart.

Clearing his head, Ash took the chair across from her and sat backwards on it, his arms folded on the back. He rested his chin on his arms and looked at the woman. She was biting her pen. She flicked her eyes up to his and sat the pen down and folded her arms on the table. “Tell me something, Ash.”

 “Anything.”

“Why did you take up nursing?”

 He leaned back and laced his hands on the top of his head. “I like to help people, you know? My mother, she’s a doctor. But.. I don’t want to be a doctor. Doctors are clinical and more removed. It’s us nurse’s aides and the nurses who develop those bonds with patients. We’re the ones who calm them down and tell them everything’s going to be okay.” She smiled.

“I have this friend, right? He’s mentally ill and requires help. He doesn’t trust doctors.” Okay, that was an understatement, Bay trusts no one. “And I like to think he trusts me when it comes to his mental health. I want to be that person who people like him come to. That they trust me to help them.”

“So, you want to help the difficult ones.”

 “Yeah.”

She tilted her head and studied him thoughtfully. “We have this resident here; his name is Dakota Ross. He’s a cranky old man who has early onset Alzheimer’s and only works with a few of the nurse’s aides and just one of the nurses. He’s a bit mean and rough but really, he’s a sweetheart. I think you and he are made for each other.”

Ash leaned forward on his elbows and studied her. “You haven’t ever said a bad word against anyone in your life, have you?”

She opened and closed her mouth, trying to refute his allegation but she just closed her lips and smiled at him, her scarred cheeks tinged an adorable shade of pink. “I’m not a saint, Ash.”

 “No,” he agreed. “You’re an angel.”

She covered her mouth and smothered a laugh, her eyes bright. “You’re a shameless flirt.”

“I’m not  _flirting_. It’s literally in your name! E-V- _A-N-G-E-L_ -I-N-E. Right smack in the middle.”

She rose her brows, bringing her coffee cup to her lips. “Oh really. You aren’t flirting. I’m like five years older tahn you, you know that, right?” Really? Twenty- four? She didn’t look anything over twenty.

He held up a hand. “On my honor as a gentleman. You aren’t even my type.” That was a bald-faced lie. She was exactly his type. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up following her around like a puppy. “I swear it.”

 “Mhm.” She took a long drink of her coffee before straightening her scrub top. “How are your classes so far? The University has some pretty challenging courses.”

Ash groaned and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. “Slowly but surely they’re sucking the soul from my body.”

She sat her coffee cup down and leaned forward on her elbows. “Would you like some help? I still have my old notes and I was on the Dean’s list. We could meet up after work. Or maybe before it, if you like.”

He leaned forward and smirked. “Who’s flirting  _now_?”

She cocked her head and looked him over blatantly before pulling on the collar of his scrub top, bringing him closer; he could see the different golds and ambers in her citrine eyes. “If I were flirting with you, Little Boy, you wouldn’t be able to form words. So what’s your answer? Yes or no?”

His mouth dropped and she let go of him and leaned back against her chair, her arms folded over her chest. He gaped at her for almost a solid thirty seconds. “Yes. My answer is yes. Definitely yes.”

She curled a lock of fire-gold hair around her finger, a smug smile playing at her lips. “Good. What times work for you? I’m pretty flexible.”

He stared at her, willing his mouth to work with him instead of against him for once in his eighteen years. “Angel, whenever you  _want_.”

* * *

Ciel buttoned up his shirt and carefully threw his legs over the side of the bed, careful to not wake the girl sleeping. He looked at the expansion of her smooth back and the golden curls covering her face and grinned. She was fun.

He left the dorm after getting himself dressed. He rolled up his sleeves as he ambled down the stairs. He could feel the eyes of most of the girls in the building undressing him as walked. He felt himself start to smirk. He knew he was good looking. It was part of the curse of being both a Blackbeak and a Havilliard. He had  _amazing_ genetics.

Ciel made his way across the campus, looking up at the night sky. Stars bled together and wind kissed his face. In the dorm, Ciel found himself waltzing to Sam’s room. He knocked and the golden-haired man answered the door shirtless.

Ciel gave him an appreciative look over. Sam’s sculpted chest was flushed and lightly freckled, his arms corded with muscle. God he was fucking  _handsome_. Ciel sucked on a tooth and grinned at the man. “Pretty buff for a librarian, Sam.”

Sam shrugged and glanced behind him. “What are you here for? More sign language?”

 “Well, no. Not really. I just found myself knocking on your door.” Ciel’s eyes went back behind Sam’s head to see another man in his room, also shirtless. “Ah, I seem to have come at the wrong time.”

 A piece of jealousy struck Ciel and he kicked himself. What was he doing? He barely knew Sam and he was his friend. But the jealously was drowned out by the self-satisfied confirmation that Sam preferred men. He had pegged him correctly. “I’ll see you later, Sam.”

Sam grabbed his wrist. “It’s not what you think. Jax was just leaving. You can stay.”

Jax? What kind of name was ‘Jax’? It sounded like a dish soap. It was almost out of his mouth when the dark-haired man came up to Sam’s side, his hand on Sam’s abdomen. Sam lifted Jax’s chin and brushed his lips against the other man’s.

 Pulling apart, Jax turned his crystal blue eyes to Ciel, measuring him up as Sam pushed the door open. Ciel rose his brows as Jax smirked and sauntered down the hall, his dark wavy hair messy, his eyes smug.  Ciel decidedly didn’t like him.

Sam motioned for him to come in and went to sit on his couch his arms resting on the back of the couch. Ciel looked around the suite before taking the seat across from his. “Jax your boyfriend?”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I haven’t had one in a while. Jax and I have an agreement. That’s it.”

 _I don’t think the walking Dish Soap got that message, Sam. He is totally into you._ “What’s that? ‘Show up and fuck me’?”

Sam smirked. “No. I do the fucking. Not the other way around.”

Well, well. He’d just file that information away for another time.

Ciel grinned. “Oh Sam. Sam, Sam,  _Sam_. You are a delight.” He watched Sam cross his ankles over the coffee table. His eyes went to Sam’s thighs, covered up by his loose pajama [ **pants**](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F279434351860819626%2F&t=OTA0OGRlMDBiNGU2Y2M2N2FjZDE1OWJmOGQ0MDU0YjIyNzA0ZGQ1OSxJbXVSWFNWQw%3D%3D&b=t%3A7YERYJIpPF4H18fux_Ig_Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fdeathgoddessnesta-fics.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F163813784621%2Fmaas-university-part-four&m=1). He would bet anything they were just as well defined as the rest of him.

“You want a something to drink?”

“Sure.”

Sam pulled two amber bottles from the minifridge and gave one to him before settling down across from his with his own. Ciel cracked the bottle open and took a long drink, his eyes on Sam the entire time. Sam put his own bottle to his lips and took a drink, his eyes fixed somewhere past him.

“What brings you to my dorm at two in the morning, Ciel?”

Ciel studied the smooth planes of Sam’s face and the tousled golden hair that went down to his shoulders to the ink that was tattooed at Sam’s side and his left forearm in some language. Beautiful wasn’t a word to describe Sam. Beautiful was elegant cheekbones and delicate features. He, himself, had been referred to as beautiful for his bone structure but  _Sam_ no. Sam was handsome. He-

Wait. He was losing track. Pretty people tended to do that to him.

Ciel shrugged fluidly and took another drink of his beer. “Don’t know. I just found myself here. Nate kind of took over the dorm tonight so I made myself scarce.”

Sam nodded thoughtfully. That’s  _right_. Sam was Adrien’s best friend, Nate’s older brother. It had been Sam that leashed the man from being an even larger jackass than he set out to be. “Nate’s good people. Just don’t raid his food. Adrien learned the hard way.”

 “I don’t get you two. How are you guys friends?”

Sam tilted his head and took a long drink from his bottle. “Adrien’s not that bad. Well, no. He  _is_  that bad but he’s a good guy. He’s just really protective of his family. You’ve seen the scars on Nate’s wrist and fingers, yes?”

He hadn’t. Nate always had those leather bracelets on his wrists. Perhaps that explained them. He thought they were merely jewelry. Nate had piercings and rings and those bracelets. He hadn’t thought much of them, but perhaps he used them to cover his scars. “What about them?”

“Nate got hurt. When he came out. The man who broke Nate’s hand, Adrien shattered his arm and got locked up for a month for it. Nate is an artist, you see, and he had to relearn how to make art. And from what I’ve understand, the man had Nate in a conversion camp. Blake was the one who brought him home but Adrien went after Keir. Blake’s in the military and Adrien got to Keir before Blake ended up dishonorably discharged for assault. Nate was only fourteen and Adrien seventeen- a  _minor­-_  but since the man was a priest, he ended up in the adult penitentiary.”

 “Christ,” Ciel breathed. Ciel digested that information. He couldn’t imagine a kid being put in jail with actual criminals. And a priest? Breaking a kid’s hand for what? His sexuality? And conversion camp? Ciel swallowed a growl and took a long drink from his bottle. “What happened to the priest?”

Sam shrugged. “Restraining order.”

 “That’s it?”

 Sam nodded. “Adrien and I get along because we’ll both do whatever we need to protect those we love. He’s just more confrontational about it.”

Ciel talked to Sam until the sun started to rise. He fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. It was closing in on five thirty in the morning. He had talked to Sam for nearly three and a half hours and it felt like only minutes. And apparently, he missed a text from Nate, saying it was clear to come back.

 “Time to go?” Sam asked, a slanted smile on his face.

Ciel ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Yeah. I got class in a few hours. I should get some sleep before I crash in Professor Archeron’s class.”

“That would be bad,” He agreed. “She doesn’t take well to people sleeping in her classes.” Sam sat down his bottle and strode to the door with him. He was close enough he could see Sam’s pale lashes. The man smiled at him. “Nate keeps kicking you out, you are more than welcome to come hang out here.”

“What about Adrien?”

Sam shrugged. “He’s rarely ever here. He’s usually at the rink or work or with a girl. And if he  _is_ here, he’ll behave himself. Promise.”

Ciel felt his lips curl into a smile as he gazed at Sam, his eyes going to Sam’s lips. Whether it was the alcohol in his system or the fact Sam was fine as hell, Ciel really, really wanted to taste him. He wondered how Sam kissed. The man had nearly four years on him and with the way he looked, Ciel would bet he knew what the hell he was doing.

Before he ended up declothing the rest of Sam to test out that theory, Ciel nodded. “I’ll see you later, Sam.”

Sam grabbed him. “Wait.” Ciel turned around and looked up at him. Sam had nearly five inches on him. The man’s hand was ridiculously warm, almost as if he had fire beneath his skin. “Let me give you my number. That way you can give me warning when you show and Jax won’t be here.”              

Ciel looked down at Sam’s hand around his before flicking his eyes up to Sam’s indirect gaze and smirked. “Why don’t you want Jax with us? Want me for yourself?”

Sam’s face became unreadable as he let Ciel go. “Do you  _want_ him here? I can give you his phone number if you’re interested. I warn you, he’s a bit conceited and being around him long enough makes you want to punch him. But if you want laid, suffering his mouth is worth it.”

Like he wanted the glorified dish soap’s phone number.  “No thanks. Yours is fine.”

Sam nodded and gave him the digits.    

When Sam went back inside, Ciel made his way to his own room. He got half way there before being stopped. By Jax. Ciel swallowed a groan and shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned at him. “We meet again. What can I do for you?”

 “He’s not interested so back off.”

Whether or not it was the lack of sleep or the alcohol buzzing in his system or maybe it was just that he did not like this prick, Ciel was in the instigating mood. He cocked his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are talking about. Care to enlighten me?”

Jax’s lips tightened. “You know who I’m talking about. Besides aren’t you a little young for him?”

Ciel smirked. “He’s like four years older than me and last I checked, Sam is more than capable of making his own decisions when it comes to who he wants to fuck. Why don’t you do us both a favor and back the fuck off before I kick your ass. I don’t appreciate being told who and who I cannot hang out with.”

Jax went to grab him and Ciel had him up against the wall, his hand around his throat. “I have had enough with you bullies,” he bit out. “You either leave me the fuck alone or I’m going to let Sam know about this little exchange. Hmm? Then we’ll see whether or not he’s still ‘yours’.”

“Fuck you, Chink.”

Ciel ground his teeth before smiled sharply. “You know, I promised my parents I wouldn’t get into any more fights but you are making it so  _hard_. I’m going to let you go and when I do, you are going to turn around and go the fuck away and I’m going to my room to sleep. If not, I’m going to forget my promise and level you like the racist motherfucker you are. Got it?”

Before Jax could respond, a low whistle came from behind him, the voice friendly; but he did not miss the undercurrent of vehemence. “You alright, Ciel?”

Nate.

Ciel shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at Jax. “Just fine, roomie. But this asshole is getting ready to eat my knuckles.”

Nate came up beside him and put his elbow on Ciel’s shoulder. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Nothing.” Jax said, his face paling. “We’re just having a conversation over possessions. It just got a little out of hand, that’s all.”

“Possessions? Like what? Luggage?”

“Sam,” Ciel said.

“Ah.” Said Nate. “Well, last I checked, Sam wasn’t your boyfriend. The best he could offer your sorry ass was a pity fuck here and there, but, of course I  _could_ be wrong.” Jax’s face could freeze over hell. But Nate appeared unbothered. “I could go get Sam and he could clear all this up or I could go get my felon brother who is just waiting for the opportune moment to kick your ass.”

“Fuck you,” Jax said. “You wouldn’t be talking smack if you didn’t have your psychotic brother to hide behind.”

Nate’s smile widened and he came up to Jax and braced a tattooed hand beside his head and patted his cheek. “Now Jackson, we both know you aren’t my type and as for hiding behind my brother, if I wanted you on the ground and bleeding, I could do that myself. I don’t need Adrien to take my punches for me.”

Ciel looked at Nate. The man smiled easily at Jax, his eyes cold and pinning him in place. He could almost smell the violence about to be enacted. He clasped Nate’s shoulder and pulled him back before he ended up leveling Jax and he needed to break in a new roommate. “Nathaniel, we’re going.”

 He shifted his eyes to Jax. “Listen, I’m not going after Sam. I’m not trying to poach him off you or whatever the hell you think is going on between us. Sam is my friend. That’s it. And if you talk to me or anyone else like you did, I will make sure he knows just who it is he’s fucking. Got it?”

Jax just turned and walked down the hall. He turned to Nate. “What were you doing in the hall at five in the morning?”

Nate shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Did you kick me out so you could sit in our dorm by yourself?”

Nate side glanced him as they walked back to their room. “Who said I was alone?”

 Ciel snorted.

* * *

Evangeline led Ash down the hall to the next room. She glanced in the room before looking back at Ash. His scrubs were immaculate, a long-sleeved teal shirt beneath the top, covering no doubt what were tattoos. “Are you ready to meet Dakota?”

 He grinned, his russet eyes lighting up. He motioned for her to lead the way. She smiled and went into the room, the man following behind her.

She flicked the lamp on beside the table and touched Dakota’s shoulder. “Mr. Ross, it’s time to wake up.”

The elderly man grumbled in his sleep and turned the other way, pulling his blanket over his head. She glanced at Ash, who then came over and got down near his ear. “Rumor around this place says you’re a window man. If you get up I can personally guarantee that you get the biggest window in the entire dining room at breakfast. How’s that?”

Dakota lowered his blanket and looked at Ash with sleepy eyes. “Who are you,” he said gruffly. “I haven’t seen you before.”

Ash grinned. “I’m new. Just started today. So what do you say, Old Man? We getting you up for breakfast or am I giving the best view in the house to another?”

Evangeline shot Ash a look.  _You can’t just call a resident that, Ash._

But the man appeared unbothered by his words, his eyes were focused on Dakota, a shit eating grin on his mouth. Evangeline looked at Dakota and swallowed, wondering where the difficult man would go with his remark.

Surprise flooded through her as Dakota barked a laugh and pulled his blankets off him and held up an arm to be helped up. “Yeah, I’m getting up, Kid. You better not be lying about that window. It gots the best view in the whole damned building.”

 Ash put the gait belt on Dakota and helped him sit up. “And what’s that?”

“Penelope.” Dakota said as they helped him change his clothes and brushed his hair. “Penelope James.”

“Got yourself a girlfriend, Dakota?” Ash asked as he helped Dakota into his wheelchair. “I bet she’s a looker.”

“Damn straight I got myself a girlfriend. She goes out to the gardens every morning to look at the daisies. Penelope Ross, sounds pretty good, eh?”

“Damn straight it does,” Ash agreed, pushing Dakota through the door. He looked over his shoulder at her. “Coming, Angel?”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. She wasn’t going to be getting him to stop calling her that any time soon, she just knew it. Instead she just pulled a lock of hair behind her ear and followed him out of Dakota’s room, turning off the lights.


	5. Chapter 5

Bay sat in the waiting room with his head thrown back against the back of the chair and  _Thousand Foot Krunch_  blasting through his headphones. He fought the urge to just get up and walk out of the clinic. He didn’t want to be here but he needed to. If only to get the green light to play.

Palming his eyes, Bay bit back a groan. God, he was so  _tired_. He hated being awake so damned early on a Saturday. Although on the plus side, he’d be able to get some coffee after the appointment; Sugar solved everything.

When his name was called, Bay wrapped his headphones around his phone and shoved it in his back pocket. “Might as well get this over with,” Bay muttered, walking down the hall to Lysandra’s office.

He stopped short when he saw the black hair and upturned green predatorial eyes. Lysandra. He didn’t think that this Lysandra would be his sister’s roommate’s  _mother_ Lysandra. Fantastic. Bay propelled himself forward, into the woman’s office.

 He claimed the chair closest to the door. He supposed he looked a little too eager to get the hell out of here. Honestly, it was too early to pretend to be polite. She’ll just have to deal with a Bay Without Caffeine.     

Lysandra crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, giving him a very distinct feeling that he was her quarry. Oddly, it wasn’t that unsettling. “It’s good to see you again, Baylor.”

“Bay,” he said tightly. “Call me Bay. No one calls me Baylor.”

  “Alright. Bay. It’s good to see you again.” She smiled wolfishly. “You look ready to bolt. You a bit anxious about this appointment?”

He leaned back and crossed his arms, shrugging fluidly. Lysandra studied him before closing her notebook and putting it on her desk. She scooted her chair in front of him. Bay straightened in his seat and stared her down, refusing to let her intimidate him. She patted his knee. “This is just an informal meeting to make sure you are mentally sound enough to play hockey. Nothing more and nothing less. Crystal?”

Bay searched her face, looking for the lie. He hated this part of himself. The part that was so paranoid, so  _damaged_ , that he couldn’t even trust a mental health professional; someone who was obligated by law to  _help_ him. Christ, his father really did a number on his head. Freud would have a field day with him.

He just shrugged. “Whatever.”

* * *

The alarm went off. Aysel groaned and rolled over, turning it off. She sat up and blew the plum strands o hair out of her face and glared down at the silvery duvet with sleepy eyes. It was far too early to be awake and her blanket was far too comfy to make getting out of bed easy.

 She glanced over at Artemis’s bed. He-she?- was faced to the wall, dark curly hair blown around his face and pillow. Aysel picked up her own pillow and threw it at him. “Artemis, wake uuup,” she groaned. “We gotta meet up with Bay.”

 A loud groan came from Artemis as he stirred. Aysel was preparing to throw another pillow at him when he turned around and faced her. “It’s so early, though.”

“Are you still a boy?” Aysel asked.

Artemis hesitated, as if he were thinking about it. “No. Not still a boy. I’m a girl.” Aysel nodded in confirmation as Artemis sat up, throwing her light brown legs over the side of her bed. “Why do we need to need to see your brother again?”

“Because,” Aysel smiled. “he’s taking us to the boys’ triathlon thingy. He promised me pretty shirtless boys in the mud. Will you come with me? Please?”

Her eyes glimmered with what Aysel assumed was interest. “Your brother’s going to be shirtless and in the mud? Really?”

Aysel shook her head. “You cannot have my brother, Artemis Ashryver. He’s too pure for you.”

She chuckled under her breath. “Not by the time I get done with him he won’t be.”

“Artemis-“

“Sweetie, I’m  _joking_.” He shimmied out of his bed and stretched, the hem of his shirt riding up, showing a jewel in his navel. “He’s way too grumpy for my tastes. Probably not even his type.”

Climbing out of bed, Aysel walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of ripped jeans and a couple of shredded shirts. She pulled her shirt off and put her bra on, throwing a look over her shoulder at Artemis. “No, probably not.”

Artemis snorted derisively. “If I’m not your brother’s type then what is?”

She pulled her jeans on and thought about it. “I’m not sure? He’s been on dates with all kinds of girls in school but I don’t think it got past a second date with any of them.”

“Really? He gay or does he just have high standards?”

She shrugged, pulling her shirts on. She had wondered whether or not her brother was gay. He didn’t seem to have much interest in girls but that could have been because he was more worried about his grades and making sure he stayed on the honor role. And the girls he did go out with, to the best of her knowledge, they approached him first.

Well,” Aysel started. “There  _was_  a girl at the end of the senior year that he hooked up with. Black hair and black eyes. A total babe. But other than her, I don’t think he’s been with anyone else.”

Pulling her hair out of the collar of her shirt, Aysel turned to face Artemis. But her eyes went to the girl’s arms, to the deep, thick pale scars running down them. “Why did you do that?” Aysel asked. “I don’t understand why someone would deliberately hurt themselves like that. Didn’t it hurt?”

Artemis stared at her and she realized she said something wrong. She twisted her ring anxiously. “Sorry. That was rude, wasn’t it. Dad said some things are better left unsaid. This is one of those things, isn’t it?”

Her roommate’s throat cleared and Aysel turned to see Artemis pulling on her red leather jacket. “It’s not you, Ays. It’s just… a touchy topic for me. Okay?” Aysel cast her eyes downward and nodded. “Let’s go get some coffee and then we can meet up with your brother.” Artemis squeezed Aysel’s hand. “I’m sure he needs the caffeine.”

* * *

The very second the hour was up, Bay was on his feet and unwrapping his headphones. Before he could get out of the room though, Lysandra grabbed his hand. “Bay, wait.” He closed his eyes and bit back a sigh, forcing himself to turn around to face her. “I would like to see you more, if that would be okay.”

 “Do I have a choice?” He asked tiredly.

 “Of course. But I think you would benefit from having a safe place to talk to someone about things that you can’t with your friends. You would control what we would talk about, nothing that’s too uncomfortable. Would you consider it, at least? Just one appointment, to see how you fare with my methods.”

He hesitated. He didn’t want to talk to her but she had been decent and a hell of a lot more interesting than some of the therapists he had seen; she was certainly more entertaining than the one he was currently seeing;  _that_ womanis about as interesting as dishwater. “Just one? That’s it?”

“Just one. And if you like how we work together we can schedule the next one. We’d go one appointment at a time and will work around your hockey practices.”

 “And you won’t tell Artemis anything I tell you, right?” He knew she couldn’t, by law. But he still wanted to hear the actual words come out of her mouth. He needed the verbal confirmation. “Or anyone else?”

Anything you tell me stays between us. I swear it on my license. As long as it doesn’t raise red flags, no one knows anything that you tell me.”

 Bay nodded slowly. “I’ll think about it.”

Lysandra smiled triumphantly and turned to her computer. Bay watched her set the appointment up and then she wrote it out on a card and handed it to him. “This is set for two weeks from now on a Wednesday. If you show up or not is up to you. I also added my home phone number just in case you need me before then, okay?”

Bay nodded and slipped the piece of paper into his back pocket. They said their goodbyes and Bay left. He needed his caffeine and he needed it now. He pulled out his phone, texting his sister:  **PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE GETTING COFFEE**

* * *

Coming out of the coffeeshop, Artemis found Bay leaning against a pole with his arms and ankles crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. It would seem the boy was just as irritable as she when it came to waking up before noon on a Saturday.

Aysel hummed beside her but when she saw her brother she bounced forward to deliver his coffee. Bay kissed her cheek and took a long drink from his coffee, his shoulders relaxing. Artemis was certain there was more sugar than there was coffee in the drink.

 “What has you in such a bad mood,” Aysel asked, taking a drink from her own coffee. “Ash call you Yoda again?” Artemis bit back a laugh.  “You should take it as a compliment. Yoda is your favorite color. Green.”

Bay glared at her as the three of them started walking. “No. Ash is trying to talk me out of the Triathlon thing or at least wear something different when competing.” The boy was in a long sleeved black shirt and green basketball shorts and worn tennis shoes; she felt hot just looking at him. “He doesn’t think I can run without getting sick from the heat.”

 Aysel nodded sagely. “I’m guessing you told him to go to hell?”

Bay nodded. “You know it. He thinks since he’s majoring in nursing he can tell me what to do. I shut that shit down real quick.” Bay blinked. “Speaking of which…”

He pulled out his phone as they made their way across the parking lot to the track. He put the phone to his ear and after a few seconds he began to talk. “Hey, I got that text. It’s at the track-” his face tightened. “Yes, I’m still doing it. No, I’m not putting on a tank top.” A tick worked its way into his jaw as he ran a hand through his short hair. “If you’re so worried about hydration, bring water or fucking Gatorade. I’ll be fine.” He stopped walking and closed his eyes. “ _Ash_. You know what?” He hung up and muttered, “ _click_.”Grimacing, Bay put his phone in his back pocket and readjusted the duffle bag at his shoulder and caught up with them.

 “Trouble in paradise?” Artemis cooed. “Must be so  _hard_ to live with someone with a job in healthcare. I have no ideawhat that is like.” He shot her a black glare. “Oh come  _on_ , it has to be nice with someone as hot as Ash doting on you so much. If he was doting on  _me_ , I’d so make it worth his while _._ ” Aysel giggled.

Bay arched a brow and opened the chain linked fence to the track, motioning for her and Aysel to go ahead of him. “You want his number? Maybe if he’s playing nursemaid with you, he’ll stop acting like my mother and start being my friend again.”

“Nah,” Artemis said. “If I want it, I’ll get it on my own. I’m a big girl. I can handle the likes of Ashton Vanserra Archeron.”

Bay snorted.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Ash trekked across the field to Bay and the other boys. It was just past noon and it was hot as hell outside. He was pissed that Bay hung up on him like a goddamned child. Pushing past Dex and another boy, Ash found his brother silently gage the upperclassmen. “Hey. Asshole.”

 Bay turned around and faced him, his arms folded over his chest. “Yes, Mother?”

Ash dropped his voice so only Bay could hear. “You know you’re not supposed to be out in this heat with your meds. You’ll overheat and get sick.  _Especially_ when you’re wearing black long-sleeved shirts in the middle of August.”

Bay appeared unbothered by the threat of overheating or getting sick. Ash wished his brother didn’t have such a low regard for his own life. “Did you bring me more water?”

 “Yes,” Ash said gruffly, adjusting the strap of his backpack. “Of course, I did. And Gatorade and fucking saltines if you need them.”

Bay looked behind Ash. “I’ll be fine then.”

Ash growled in frustration and gripped Bay’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. “We’re not done with this, Bay. We’re going to have a fucking talk about your complete disregard for your own safety.”

Bay jerked out of his grip and pushed past him. Tipping his head back, Ash sighed through his nose and followed after Bay to a black haired, violet eyed boy and a silver haired boy with turquoise gold-rimmed eyes. “Caius,” Bay said in greet. His eyes shifted to the other boy. “Hey. You must be Rhoe.” The silver-haired boy nodded.

Ash blinked at Caius. “Holy  _shit_. I haven’t seen you in fucking  _forever_. What’s it been, ten years? Why didn’t you tell me you were going to school here?”

His cousin gave him a lazy grin.  “Been busy, you know. So much to do, so little time to do it. It’s not like we live forever.” Ash snorted and Caius’s violet eyes shifted to Bay. “I didn’t realize you were  _that_  Bay. I should have realized with a roommate named ‘Ash’ you were Nesta and Cassian’s kid. I just assumed you had their last name.”

Bay flashed a fake smile. “Nope. Different last name.”

Rhoe frowned, as if he could see the difference between Bay’s real smile and his fake one; not that he himself actually  _knew_  what that looked like; Ash was only familiar with his manic and his forced ones.

 Rhoe studied Bay’s hard face before he nudged Caius and signed to him.  _Drop it. Touchy topic._

Bay’s eyebrow twitched, his eyes hard chips of green ice, as he immediately picked up on the signing.  _Are you deaf or mute? Or maybe there’s another reason for you to be signing?_

Rhoe blinked, his ears turning pink.  _You can sign?_

Bay smiled humorlessly.  _Yeah, I learned when I was little. So, did my sister and_ – he motioned to Ash-  _he._

Rhoe smiled.  _Why did you learn? Deaf family member?_

Bay signed:  _We had a friend who was mute._

Ash bit back his frown at the half-truth Bay gave him. Bay didn’t have a mute friend; he  _was_ the mute friend. He turned the topic before the line of questioning went into making it a full-blown lie.  _So, when are we going to kick their asses?_

Ash felt sorry for the upperclassmen as Rhoe and Caius exchanged glances and began to smile deviously. God help anyone who came between the two.

* * *

Sammi rubbed sunscreen on her arms and stomach, watching the boys gather down below on the field. Hot boys on a hot day and running and climbing through the mud, how could she  _not_ come and watch them?

Next to her, Deanna pulled her black hair into a messy bun, her cognac eyes sizing up the boys down below. The girl took a long drink from her bottle of Coke as she stood and faced her. “I wanna get a closer look. Come on.”

Sammi grinned, putting the bottle of sunscreen away and followed her roommate down to the grass. “You sure you just want to look and not touch?”

Deanna snorted, her attention on the boy with black hair and hazel-gold eyes. “Still making up my mind.”

Sammi hooked arms with her roommate, leaning into her. “You sure you don’t want to come to the party with me? Maybe you’ll meet someone.”

Deanna shook her head and ran a piece of hair behind her ear. “No. I need to stay on top of my game so that my scholarship doesn’t get pulled.” She shifted her eyes to Sammi. “And that means spending as much time on the ice as I can.”

Sammi hummed as a boy with hazel-gold eyes looked up, directly at Deanna, as if he could sense she was looking at him. His face was unreadable as he kept his eyes on her for a few heartbeats before returning to his team.

 She looked at Deanna with raised brows. “Find someone to your liking? If I didn’t know better I’d say he liked what he saw.”

Deanna tore her eyes to Sammi. “Of course he did. I’m in a bikini top and cargo pants. Boys are prone to look at girls who are showing skin.” She rolled her shoulders and sighed. “Besides I can’t get distracted with boys. School comes first.”

 Looking over the group of boys, Sammi’s eyes locked on the tallest among them: Black hair, black eyes, brown skin. She whistled. “ _Damn_. That boy is a fucking  _tree_.”

Deanna snorted, taking a drink from her coke bottle. “Gonna climb him?”

“At least once,” Sammi murmured, eyeing his broad tattooed shoulders and loose black tank top that was no doubt hiding a well-defined chest. “At least once.”

* * *

Nate watched the boys running through the obstacle course, his eyes snagging on a one with ash blond hair. The boy ran as if it were hell on his heels, as if he were running from something. How interesting.

Next to him, Ciel whistled. “Damn that boy is  _fast_.”

Nate nudged him. “I call dibs. I saw him first.”

Ciel snorted, his angled eyes going to Sam, who was crawling through mud. “Fine by me. I got my sights set on another blond.”

Laughing, Nate opened the chain link fence and pulled Ciel with him up to Aysel and her friend, who was watching the boy who had piqued his attention. “Hey Aysel? Who is that?”

 The girl whirled around on him and cocked her head. “Hello Nathaniel.” Her kohl-lined blue-grey eyes shifted to Ciel, looking him over. “And who are  _you_?”

Ciel grinned slowly. “I’m Ciel. Nice piercings.”

“Thanks,” Aysel said, turning to him, completely dismissing Ciel; Ciel just blinked. Nate bit back a laugh, he had a feeling most didn’t just dismiss Ciel without so much as a second glance; he was too beautiful. But alas, Aysel was beautiful as well; it evened the playing field. “The boy is my adoptive brother.”

Nate bit at his lip, sucking on his lip ring. “As in the one with sugar addiction?”

The very one,” said Aysel’s friend. She folded her arms over her chest, smiling at him. “Nice to see you again. I’m Artemis by the way.” She pouted and looked up at him beneath her eyelashes. “You weren’t there when we went to get coffee this morning.”

Nate laughed, his eyes going back to the boy running. “Sorry you had to go without seeing my pretty face but alas I’m headed there now. I just wanted to see the boys get down and dirty before I had to get behind a counter. I was hoping some shirtless boys would make my day better.”

“Are you staring at my brother?” Aysel asked.

Nate tore his eyes from the boy and looked down at the plum-haired girl. Her eyes were on her brother. He grinned at her. “Damn straight I am.”

Ciel snorted, “I was under the impression you weren’t any kind of ‘straight’, Nathaniel.” Artemis tipped her head back and laughed.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Nate frowned at the time; he had fifteen minutes to get across campus and to the coffeeshop; plus clock-in. Nate tipped his head back and sighed painfully. “I got to head out before I end up late for work. I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

* * *

Not even twenty minutes later, the obstacle course was finished, the freshmen winning by a large margin, thanks to Aysel’s brother and the giant next to him’s teamwork. Ciel thought they must be actual teammates with how fluidly they worked together.

Shouting filling the air, Ciel pushed past a few boys and made his way to the center of the fight. Well, well, well. It would appear the Glorified Dish Soap was a sore loser and Aysel’s brother was fucking  _pissed._

Jax threw accusation after accusation at Aysel’s brother, but the ash blond boy just took it from him, not reacting in any way. But then Jax threw a punch, hitting him square in the jaw. Aysel’s brother fell back only a half a step before grabbing Jax’s arm and twisting it, bringing the six-two man down to his knees. The boy stared down at Jax with blown out hazel-green eyes. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Jax’s face contorted in pain as he tried standing up, only to be met with a deeper twist in his arm. Jax cried out. The boy’s face was hard, unmovable stone as he stared down at him. “I let you go, you going to play nice or do you want to taste mud?”

Ciel looked at the boy with wide eyes.  _Daaamn_. One would think with someone so small they wouldn’t be much of a threat to someone so much taller than he. But the boy had just brought Jax down to his knees with a twist of the arm. A little bit more of a twist and it would break.

Jax’s eyes were bright with unshed tears and black rage but the boy appeared unbothered by it, as if he didn’t care what would happen if Jax was able to turn the tables on him. “Well?” the boy demanded.

“ _Bay_!” A voice yelled.

]Ciel looked over his shoulder to see Aysel and Artemis making their way through the crowd. Aysel’s eyes were wide as she twisted her ring anxiously. Ciel watched her get to Bay. With just a hand to his forearm, Aysel got her brother to release his death grip on Jax.  _Pity_.

Bay merely turned around, wrapping an arm around Aysel’s waist, resting his forehead against her shoulder. His eyes closed though his shoulders still tensed with pure fight or flight beneath his clinging black shirt. Aysel just whispered in his ear, hugging him tighter.

He watched Jax get to his feet and take a step towards Bay and Aysel. Ciel got between the three of them and pushed Jax back. “Let it go,” he warned. “I think Bay would level your ass if you laid a hand on his sister.” Bay’s head snapped up but Aysel just tightened her hug.

Gripping Ciel’s shirt, Jax pushed him back a step. “Get the fuck out of my way, chink,” Jax growled. “I’m going to teach this bastard a lesson.”

  Bay pushed Aysel behind him, as if her were shielding her with his body despite her being a few inches taller, and went to step forward but was stopped by his fire-haired friend. Teeth mashing together, Ciel looked down at his very expensive shirt now ruined with mud. Inhaling sharply, Ciel’s head snapped up and he pushed Jax away from them. “Do you know how expensive this shirt was? It has to cost more than your IQ.”

   A sharp whistle stopped Jax in his footsteps, his eyes snapping up, his face pale. “What the hell is going on? Jax?”

 Oh shit. Sam.

  Sam Galathynius pushed past the group of boys, his jeans filthy, his bare shoulders red with sunburn, his face world-ending. “Tell me I did not hear you call Ciel that.”

“Sam,” Jax started.

 Sam’s fingers curled into tight fists, his knuckles white. “We are done. Do not call me, do not text me, do no talk to me. As a matter of fact, pretend I do not exist and you never met me. You wonder why I wouldn’t date you? Why I wouldn’t let there be any more than sex be between us? Look at you, you’re going around picking fights, calling people racist names and using your looks and your money as a way to justify your bigoted behavior.”

“Honestly,” Sam said as he started scratching at himself, “your looks are pretty much the only thing you got going for you.” Laughter broke out around them but Sam only had eyes for Jax, his face hard. Jax gaped at Sam, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of the man’s mouth. “You’re not going to be a part of the rest of the games and you’ll be using the Athletic Center from now until their restrooms are fixed. Now  _leave_.”

  “You can’t make me leave,” Jax said incredulously. “I was the one who orchestrated this whole thing.”

   “Wrong,” said a velvet voice.

 Ciel’s eyes shifted to see a raven haired, violet eyed boy part through the crowd, Rhoe beside him. The black-haired boy went up to Jax while Rhoe went to his brother, his face etched with concern. “See, I remember coming to  _you_. And my good friend Rhoe, back there with his brother Sam, was the one who came up with the games in the first place. You were just the fool who bombed our bathrooms.”

   A chorus of outraged yelling broke out among the freshmen boys. Ciel just narrowed his eyes an shoved his hands in his pockets

   Bay came forward then, sweat making his ash blond hair plaster to his flushed freckled face. “I don’t know who the fuck you are,” he said, glaring up at Jax. “But I suggest you get out of my line of vision and off this field before I  _really_ lose my temper. This was supposed to be fun and you’re a sore fucking loser, saying we’re cheating. Tell me, how was I cheating when this is an obstacle course? I’m a lot of things but a cheater isn’t one of them.” Bay folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t need to win by cheating. I have more talent in my pinky finger than you do in your entire body.”

   Ciel was awed by the lack of sentiment in that statement. There was no smugness or pride, he said it as if it were just a fact, as if he were just stating the obvious or spelling his name.

  Jax opened and closed his mouth, Bay gave him a cold, emotionless smile; it sent ice through Ciel’s veins, almost making him feel sorry for Jax. Almost. “Exactly,” Bay said flatly. putting his hand on his stomach, his brows furrowing as if he were trying to gather his bearings. His fire-haired friend looked at him anxiously. Bay turned around to the raven haired one. “Caius. Call me when we do the second event. I need to get out of here.”

    “You okay?” Caius asked, studying Bay’s flushed, almost green face.

  “Peachy,” Bay said and then turned to his friend, “Ash. Let’s go.”

* * *

Rhoe pulled his brother beneath the bleachers, helping him to the ground, out of the sun. Rhoe bent down in front of his brother, pulling out a piece of felt and placing it in his brother’s hands. He pulled Sam to his chest, his arm going around him, tethering him to himself. God this was the one thing he hated about being deaf, not being able hear his brother when he was having a meltdown.

Sam was shaking in his arms, rocking back and forth, his face in Rhoe’s neck. He could imagine Sam mumbling to himself, screaming, et cetera when he had a meltdown. But he couldn’t hear it, couldn’t help beyond holding him, trying his damned hardest to calm his brother down.

Rhoe looked up to see Ciel when something touched his shoulder. The boy’s eyes were lit with alarm, his black hair falling out of the half-bun he had in his hair. Ciel clumsily signed:  _What can I do?_

  Rhoe motioned for him to do as he did and Ciel got down to his knees and put his arms around Sam squeezing him. Rhoe mouthed to him:  _tighter_.

  Ciel did as instructed and tightened his hold, his lips whispering something to Sam. They sat there for minutes, hours, Rhoe didn’t know and when Sam finally stopped shaking and rocking, Rhoe pulled apart from his brother and signed for Ciel to let him go.

Rhoe took a few steps back and studied Sam’s face. He appeared to be calmer, the meltdown out of his system. Rhoe took note of the bewildered, worried expression etched on Ciel’s face as the boy got to his feet.

* * *

Sam willed his heart to slow the fuck down, to not draw any more attention to himself from Ciel or god forbid any of the many people on the other side of the bleachers. Exhaling slowly Sam carefully got to his feet with Rhoe’s help.

Sam turned to Ciel, trying to read his delicate features. Ciel just took Sam’s face in his hands, studying him. He had to force himself to hold Ciel’s eye contact; it was almost disorienting, all the golds and sapphires in those upturned eyes, all the micro expressions on his beautiful tanned face. “I’m okay, Ciel. Promise.”

Ciel frowned. Sam wasn’t sure if Ciel was upset or if he were worried or if it was both. Probably both, that was the logical reaction to seeing someone have a meltdown. But Ciel just nodded. “Is there anything you need?”

Sam just shook his head. “No. I’m okay now. You can go. I’m sorry I scared you.” Ciel blinked. “I just want to sit with my brother.”

 With a final look over, Ciel nodded slowly and said, “I’ll see you tonight probably. That okay?”

Sam nodded, grateful for Ciel not asking him about the meltdown. He slid back onto the concrete below him. “Yeah, just call ahead of time.”

=  Both he and Rhoe watched Ciel shove his hands in his pockets and walk away, his shoulders tense beneath his button-up silk shirt. Sam put his face in his hands and sighed deeply. He hated this. He hated when he had a meltdown where so many people would bear witness to it. He hated them period.

He put his arms on his knees and watched his brother sit in front of him. Rhoe tilted his head, looking him over. He was worried. Sam swallowed thickly at the shame sitting in his stomach.  _He_ was the older brother. It should be  _him_ who worried about Rhoe. He was  _four years older_  than his little brother for God’s sake.

Rhoe just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sam, rubbing his back. He pressed his forehead to Rhoe’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He just needed to forget ever meeting Jackson, forget judging him wrong.

Rhoe pulled back from him, studying him beneath furrowed brows before signing:  _Are you okay? What happened?_

 Sam sighed:  _I ended everything between me and Jax._

Rhoe frowned:  _Why though? Didn’t you like him?_

Sam stared at Rhoe. Did he not know what Jax said to Ciel?  _He called Ciel a bad name and then he hit someone. I thought I knew him. But I was so wrong. I feel so foolish for liking him at all._

Rhoe sighed and ran a lock of Sam’s hair behind his ear:  _You didn’t know Sam. The important thing is you stuck up for your friend. Forget Jax. You’ll find someone better who will treat your heart right._

* * *

Bay barely made it the toilet before he ended up heaving the contents of his stomach, which was mostly coffee to begin with. His entire body was so  _hot_ , everything was on fire and drenched with sweat and he couldn’t cool down.

He pressed his cheek to the rim of the toilet bowl, catching his breath and shocking some cold into his face while he willed his stomach to settle. He sensed Ash behind him, leaning against the doorframe, his arms and ankles no doubt crossed, his face hard. “Don’t even say it,” Bay croaked, wiping his mouth and flushing the toilet. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Say  _what_ ,” Ash drawled, his voice edged. “That I was right? I don’t want to be right about this.”

Bay got to his feet with shaking legs and made his way to the sink. He looked in the mirror and eyed the blooming bruise already forming on his jaw. God, it was going to be nasty. He turned the faucet on and ran his mouth beneath it, getting the taste of vomit out of his mouth.

He brushed his teeth and then pulled new clothes out of the closet. After changing out of his muddy shorts, Bay changed his shirt as fast as he could, hopefully without Ash seeing his scars. But by the livid look on Ash’s face, he had. Or maybe it’s because he had ended up getting overheated like Ash had warned him about.

Ash sighed forcefully and finally said, “You okay?”

Bay just shrugged. “I’ll live.”

Ash opened his mouth, his russet eyes sparking. “That doesn’t mean you’re  _okay_ , Bay. You’re fucking-”

Bay put his filthy clothes in the hamper and whirled on his brother. “ _Stop it, Ash_. I am not in the fucking mood for you to try to save me.” Ash opened his mouth to argue with him and Bay pointed out the door. “One word and I leave. Got it?”

Ash clenched his teeth and glared daggers at him. Bay just gave him a cool look that said  _try me_. Nostrils flaring, Ash stalked over to his closet and pulled his shirt off to changed, his sculpted back tense with anger. He changed into a clean dark blue tank top and whirled around on him, his coppery hair hanging loose around his face. “We  _are_ going to talk about this. Soon. And when we do, you’re going to listen to me.”

Bay got in front of the air conditioner and dipped his head as he braced the walls. “Yeah, yeah. Just do it after we win the triathlon.”

* * *

Connie watched the boys play handball; the upperclassmen shirtless and the freshmen shirts. Each team ran fast, dribbling and passing and scoring in the goals although the upperclassmen scored more than the freshmen thanks to the black-haired hazel-gold eyed boy in the goal and the years of more experience when it came to sports.

After an hour and a half, the game was finally over, with a score of 3 to 7, the upperclassmen winning. The freshmen boys looked annoyed and worn out. She looked them over before resting her eyes on an ash blond boy with freckles.  _Is that Bay?_

Connie went around one of the groups of boys before getting to him. It  _was_  Bay! Connie squeaked and ran up to him and hugged him. He smelled like cypress and rain and sweat. He stiffened in her arms and she pulled back instantly. “Sorry. I forgot you don’t like being touched.”

He stared at her for nearly a solid fifteen seconds beneath furrowed brows and a bewildered expression before his mouth curled slightly to the side in a faint smile. “Connie. I didn’t realize that was you.”            

His fire-haired friend eyed them suspiciously, his russet eyes narrowed. “You two know each other? How?”

 Bay shifted anxiously and ran a hand through his damp hair. “We met at camp during Junior year.”

“Camp?” the friend said, confused. “You never went to-“ Bay shot him a look and realization dawned on the friend. “Oh.  _Oh._ ”

Bay’s ears turned redder despite the his already flushed face, his hand went to his wrist, as if he could still feel the medical I.D. bracelet around it. She remembered when she met him, how angryhe was.

* * *

 

_Screams echoed off the wall, sending shivers down Connie’s spine. She got to her feet, walking slowly to the source of the screams. A boy with ash hair and glasses yelled at the nurses. “I’m not giving you these. Why wont you let me have them?”_

_His voice came out so small despite it being at the top of his lungs. The boy’s hand went to a chain at his throat, his face flushed with anger and helplessness. It had Connie’s heart fracturing in her chest.  It was obvious the necklace at his throat was important to him if he was yelling at a nurse; especially when orderlies were so nearby._

_The nurse smiled painfully. “It’s policy, Bay. Necklaces- even those dog tags- could be used as a weapon.”_

_\Even from where she was, Connie could see Bay’s throat bob violently. “Please,” Bay said, “don’t make me give you my mom’s dog tags. They’re the only thing I have of her.”_

_Connie stepped forward with her arms around herself. She couldn’t imagine living without her mother. His voice, Bay’s voice was filled with such grief. Such deep, raw grief._

_The nurse tried smiling. “They’ll be safe in lock-”_

_“_ NO, _” Bay snapped. “You think you’re the first person to tell me that? You have no idea.”_

_His voice just got louder and louder and such bottomless rage filled his entire being. It had Connie taking a step back and wrapping her arms around herself, anxiety bubbling up in her veins._

_The nurse’s lips pressed into a firm, firm line. “If you do not calm down, I’m going to have to medicate you.”_

_“Then fucking medicate me because I’m not calming down until I get to keep my dog tags,” Bay’s voice cracked. “I won’t make it easy for you.”_

_Connie could see orderlies coming down the hall and she took that as her cue to leave before she was spotted by either Bay or the rest of them. She was rather frightened of him with that impossible anger but she could hear the pain in his voice and that made her understand him a little bit more and the fear started to ebb away._

* * *

 

Bay pulled her into him and hugged her tightly. She instantly hugged him back. She was just shy of an inch taller than him but he was so strong. She wondered if it had anything to do with what he had told her during those weeks in the hospital.

She pulled out of his arms and smoothed down her tank top. Bay’s fire-haired friend gaped at Bay. “I wasn’t aware you actually knew  _how_  to hug someone.” The boy’s russet eyes swung to her, bright and sly. He held out a hand. “I’m Ash.”

Connie blinked and smiled shyly, shaking his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

 Ash’s lips curled into a smirk, his eyes bright and looking her over. “Nothing too bad I hope. Tell me my brother didn’t fill your pretty head with lies. I’d hate to kick his ass in front of a nice girl such as yourself.”

Bay rose his brows and folded his arms over his chest, the dog tags at his throat bright against the afternoon sun. “Oh please. We both know you couldn’t win against me in a fight. And stop hitting on her, she’s not interested in your arrogant ginger ass, Ashton.”

Ash huffed and Connie covered her mouth, hiding her giggle. She watched the brothers bicker with fascination. They appeared to be just as close as she was with her sister and yet they shared no blood. It was truly beautiful to watch.

 A buzzing sound came from Bay’s pocket and he pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen before shifting his gaze to Ash. “The third event is at a party tonight, at the Illyrian Steeps condos.”

 “Any chance it takes place at Evangeline Ashryver’s apartment?” Ash asked. Connie didn’t miss the hope in his eyes.

Bay’s thumbs flew across the screen and a minute later, he received a response. “Yup,” Bay said, his eyes shifting to his brother. Bay’s eyebrow arched at Ash’s spreading grin. “I’m guessing you know her?”

Ash shrugged fluidly and laced his hands on the top of his head. “We’re coworkers and she’s helping me with studying.”

Bay folded his arms over his chest as he looked his brother over. “Is  _that_ what the kids are calling it nowadays?”

Connie laughed at Ash glaring at him. “Don’t be a dick.”

* * *

 Caius and Rhoe walked down the hallway to his sister’s apartment. He hadn’t meant for things to get so out of control at the games. And when he heard Jax say those things to that boy, Caius had lost any interest he had in the boy.

And Sam… holy hell was he savage. He tore Jax apart without even laying a finger on him. And when Rhoe went with his brother, it was one of the sweetest things he had ever witnessed. Their relationship was just as close as the one he had with his own sister.

Caius could already hear music blasting through his sister’s apartment, though it was nowhere near as loud as some of the parties  _he_ had given. He side-glanced Rhoe, taking in the clothing he had changed into. He’d bet anything Rhoe’s jeans cost more than his entire outfit.

Rhoe side-glanced him and drew his index finger down his palm, signing:  _What?_

_Are you some kind of royalty? You must be with how much money that outfit cost. Dressed to impress, hmm? Want to find yourself a girl?_

Rhoe looked down at his clothes and snorted before sliding his eyes to him:  _I always dress like this. Perks of being wealthy._

  _I’m wealthy too­_ , Caius signed, _but I’m not wearing 200-dollar jeans. A real prince you are, Rhoe._ Caius grinned at his roommate.  _That’s what I’m calling you now. Prince._

Rhoe rose his brows as they got closer to the door and whirled on him, walking backwards so they were face-to-face.  _Oh really? Fine, then I’m calling you Lord if you’re calling me that. It can be your sign name._

Caius blinked:  _What’s a sign name?_  
  
It’s a name given to you by someone who is deaf. Instead of spelling out your name like C-A-I-U-S it’ll be ‘Lord’ but with a ‘C’. Only someone who is deaf or hard of hearing can give you a sign name.

He smiled:  _I love it, my Prince._   _Thank you._

Rhoe smiled as well:  _I’m glad, my Lord. It suits you._

* * *

Rhoe had almost laughed outright at Caius, asking him if he wanted to find himself a girl. After Ryan… after looking in Ryan’s bright green eyes and short golden hair and kissing his always smiling lips, Rhoe was certain: He did not want a girl. He couldn’t  _love_  a girl, not in the way she would want.

  Rhoe’s heart cracked in his chest and he steeled his spine before Caius could realize anything was wrong with him. He whirled back around and knocked on Caius’s sister’s door.

   A golden-haired girl answered, her leafy green eyes looked him over, her red lips curled into a smile. Oh god, how was this fair at all. He knew Ryan didn’t have any siblings but the likeness of her face was so much like his. It was almost painful to look at her.

His eyes went to her lips as she said, “I’m Dacia. You must be Rhoe.”

  Rhoe’s throat tightened and he forced himself to smile at her. She wasn’t Ryan, she wasn’t  _related_  to Ryan. It was just that they looked so much alike; God it made his heart hurt so much.  _It’s nice to meet you_ : Rhoe signed.

  Dacia opened the door and let them inside. Rhoe gave the space an appreciative look through. His eyes went to the raven-haired girl with icy eyes. But when she looked at her brother, at Caius, they melted and she gave him a small smile.

“Biela,” Caius said, and signed, “Who are you all dolled up for?”

Rhoe took in her short leather skirt and tight black crop top; party clothes, something he had seen on countless girls. Honestly, she made leather look good.

  “Myself,” Biela said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder, showing her diamond studs. “Can’t I look pretty because I  _wanted_ to?”

  Rhoe watched Biela’s eyes shift quickly to Dacia behind the counter, pouring herself a glass of wine. Her face was filled with longing but as soon as she looked at Rhoe, her face turned emotionless, her chin raised and imperial. “You must be Rhoe.” Rhoe blinked.

  Caius stepped forward. “Down girl.” Biela cut her brother an icy glare, though Caius appeared unbothered by it. “You finally going to get with her? Or must Rhoe and I bear witness to more pining?”

  Biela merely rolled her eyes.

* * *

Dacia took a sip from her wine, watching Biela talk to her brother and Rhoe. She watched Rhoe’s smile widen as Biela started signing with him. She remembered Biela and Caius spend hours working on ASL so that he could speak with Rhoe.

She thought about Rhoe’s face when she answered the door. The boy looked as if he had seen a ghost. She saw the heartbreak and loneliness on his face, no matter how fast it had disappeared. It was a look she had seen many times on patrons at the club and when she had looked in the mirror.

  A hand touched hers, pulling Dacia out of her thoughts. Dacia looked to see her roommate looking at her beneath furrowed brows, her citrine eyes alarmed with worry. “Hey,” Evangeline whispered, “you okay?”

  Dacia smiled at her, squeezing her hand. “I’m fine sweetie. Just waiting for the party to start.”

* * *

A few hours later, the party was in full swing and Sammi took it all in. The music thrummed through her veins and she danced, danced, danced. She whirled around, letting the music carry her when she saw the boy from the obstacle course.

Well, well, well.

Sammi looked at the dark jeans and the grey shirt and the tattoos on his light brown skin. She watched his impossibly dark eyes look over the room with a faint smile on his face. It was as if he knew there were girls watching him. Of course there were: It was hard to miss a tree.

  Smoothing down her dress and rolling her shoulders, Sammi watched him for a few seconds. God he was all kinds of yummy. She stalked up to him and placed a manicured hand to his chest, feeling the dip of hard muscle beneath her fingers. “Hi.”

The boy’s eyes went to her hand on his chest before shifting his eyes slowly to hers. He gave her a generous look over, taking in her dress and heels. She smirked slowly, “Find something you like?”

His eyes glittered. “What’s your name?”

She patted his chest and shook her head, watching his eyes follow her golden hair down her back. Running her tongue over one of her eyeteeth, Sammi tilted her head. “I asked you first, remember.”

   The boy’s brows rose slowly and he pushed off the wall. He looked down at her with black eyes. Bowing his head, his hair fell over his eyes as he gripped her chin. “You’re a little tease, aren’t you?”

She bit her lip when a red-haired boy came over and looked between her and the boy. His russet eyes narrowed slightly before landing on her. “Sorry for interrupting you and the Tree of Terror but,” he clasped the boy’s arm, “it’s his turn in the game.”

“ _Ash_ ,” the boy said irritably, “I’m a little busy.”

“You confuse me with someone who cares,” Ash drawled, completely ignoring the death glare the other boy was giving him. “I’m sure Connie will be here when you get done. Or not. Whatever, not my problem.”

  Sammi blinked in surprise at her sister’s name coming off this stranger’s lips. Before she could correct him, the boy she was flirting with pushed past Ash and into the throng of people. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the copper haired boy. “Did you call me Connie?”

Ash blinked. “Is that not your name? Bay said-”

She held up a hand. “Connie is my sister. My  _twin_ sister. We’re identical.  _I’m_ Sammi.”

  “I see,” Ash grinned, folding his arms over his chest. “You the good twin or the bad twin, Sammi.”

   She gave him a wolfish smile. “Definitely the bad twin.”

* * *

 Adrien pulled his duffle over his shoulder as he walked through the sparse parking lot. All day, he kept thinking about that dark-haired girl he saw at the obstacle course. He thought about her black hair and most of all, her cognac eyes. He had never seen such pretty eyes on anyone.

He pulled her from his thoughts as he walked through the arena to the ice. He stopped short when he saw a girl on the ice, shooting goal after goal. Adrien leaned forward, getting a better look at the girl.

  His eyes widened slightly. It was  _the_ girl. She was in a tight red shirt and cargo pants, her midnight hair in a messy bun. Before Adrien knew what he was doing, he lowered his bag and just watched her. She was shooting so angrily, as if her world depended on getting the next goal.

 _How beautiful,_  Adrien thought.  _So very beautiful._

He watched her for what had to be at least fifteen minutes before he laced up his own skates and went onto the ice with her. He got up to the goal and she whirled on him, her hockey stick in hand, as if she were holding a weapon.

    _Interesting._

Adrien took in her unnervingly perfect face and the dark smudge on her cheek. It was either gasoline or oil. Either way, it just made her more beautiful. Her eyes looked him over for what felt like forever. “What do you want?”

Adrien arched a brow and held up his own goalie stick. “Want someone to shoot against?” She cocked her head and looked him over coolly, as if she were weighing the pros and cons of practicing with him. “Come on,” Adrien said, “It would be better in the long run to shoot against someone instead of an empty goal.”

  “Hmm,” the girl said, lifting her chin. “Don’t go easy on me because I’m a girl.”

  Adrien grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

* * *

Biela closed her eyes and twisted her hips, letting the music carry her away.  She took a long drink from the bottle and opened her eyes. She could see the boys playing beer pong but she kept her attention on the golden-haired beauty in front of her on the couch.

Dacia was trying her damnest to appear unruffled and uninterested in her. Whether or not it was the alcohol in her system or maybe just Caius’s words, Biela threw caution and her mother’s wishes to the wind and danced for Dacia.

   She braced her hands on either side of the woman’s head and undulated her hips. Dacia looked up at her with blown out green eyes and dense breathing, as if she were trying to not react to Biela so close to her.

   Biela smiled at her and slid into her lap, dancing in a way she knew had Dacia scrambling for pieces of self-control. Dacia inhaled sharply and looked up at her. “ _Biela_ ,” she pleaded.

   She leaned down to her ear and nipped at her earlobe, her hands running in the woman’s hair. “Do you want me to stop?” Biela whispered just above the music.

    “No,” she said roughly. “I do not.”

Dacia grabbed her moving grips and pulled her deeper into her lap. She looked up at her with heated green eyes. Biela’s own eyes went lower, to Dacia’s red lips. Her heart pounded in her chest, sending so much want through her veins with each pounding beat.

Her mother’s face appeared in front of her eyes, telling her to not kiss Dacia. For once, she threw that image away and lowered her mouth to Dacia’s. She tasted so sweet, smelled like roses and springtime.

 Dacia froze beneath her for half a second before kissing her back with such fever that had Biela lost in everything that was Dacia Lyall. She kissed and kissed and kissed her before being vaguely aware of Dacia wrapping her arms around her and carrying her back to what she assumed was one of their rooms.

  Biela lowered to her feet as soon as she was in the room. With a dismissal fit for a queen, Dacia ordered whomever was in the room out. Dacia locked the door behind them and whirled on her, her pristine golden curls a mess around her head. “Are you sure you want this? Because once we open this door…”

  Biela pushed Dacia against the wall and looked up at her. “I am absolutely positive,” she said roughly. “I want this. I want you.  _All_ of you.”

   Dacia whirled them around so she was up against the wall and looked down at her. Her eyes traced down every inch of her hungrily and soon Dacia’s hands were on her, pulling at the hem of Biela’s shirt, pulling it off.

  Biela tipped her head back and closed her eyes as Dacia palmed her breasts and kissed her stomach, her touch sending starlight through every inch of her. Her heart picked up faster as Dacia’s fingers teased the hem of her skirt.

  She pulled Dacia to her feet and guided her over to the bed. Suddenly, Dacia hovered over Biela, her golden hair falling over her shoulders like a halo. Dacia’s lips were suddenly on her neck, her slender fingers roaming Biela’s body.

 =Biela pulled at Dacia’s dress, pulling it up to her waist. She slid her hand inside the woman’s underwear, smirking at Dacia’s dipped head and groaning. “ _Biela._ ” She moaned her name as if it were a prayer, as if it were the one thing keeping her from damnation.

  The number of times Biela had fantasized about hearing her name coming from this woman in such a way, it had to be countless. Dacia’s legs spread further and Biela’s fingers plunged through her folds, through the wetness already waiting for her, earning her a gasp from Dacia Lyall.

  Dacia’s hips rocked as Biela pumped her fingers, her mouth sucking and nipping and biting at Biela’s neck. “Oh god ‘Cia, you’re so wet,” Biela moaned as her fingers plunged deeper inside, up to the knuckle. “You have no  _idea-_ ”

 Her words were cut off with Dacia’s lips crushing on to her own, her hips rocking, Biela’s fingers fucking her. And before she knew what was happening, Dacia’s own fingers were inside Biela’s panties, stroking her.

Biela’s heart racketed through her and she moaned against Dacia’s lips, earning herself a smirk from the woman.

Dacia pressed her forehead to her own, looking her in the eyes as hushed moans and whimpers fell from their mouths. But suddenly Dacia removed her fingers and she lowered herself down between Biela’s legs. “I want to taste you,” she said roughly, her hungry eyes going to the feast waiting for her.

In a single motion, Dacia had Biela’s panties off and on the floor. Biela cried out as her mouth went down to her clit, sucking while she plunged her fingers once again inside. Biela’s nails bit into Dacia’s shoulders as the woman sucked, her fingers going faster and faster.

She knew she was close as she felt her walls tighten around Dacia’s fingers. Biela grasped at the sheets as Dacia’s pace picked up. Dacia brought her lips to Biela’s mouth, her fingers still fucking her. “Dacia,” Biela mumbled against her mouth. “I-”

“Come for me, Biela,” Dacia said roughly.

Her fingers went faster and faster. Biela cried out as Dacia took her over the edge again and again, leaving Biela a limp mess as she panted and looked up into Dacia’s eyes. They glimmered as Dacia slowly removed her fingers and sucked on each of them one by one.

As soon as Biela caught her breath, she had Dacia on her back and she gave her  _everything_  she had been given, and more. Biela kissed her, smothering Dacia’s cries of completion.

She pulled apart from the woman and looked down at her, brushing the wisps of damp golden hair from her face. “Dacia,” Biela whispered. “I..”

 Her words faltered. She wanted to say  _I love you_  to her. To tell her just what she meant to her. But she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. Something was keeping her from saying it.

Dacia’s eyes soften and she sat up, pulling Biela deeper into her lap. She cupped her face and lightly kissed her lips. She slowly parted from her and pressed their foreheads together. “Me too, Biela.”

* * *

Caius let out a whistle when his sister and Dacia came down the hall, their hair a mess and their clothes crumpled. It was obvious the two girls had sex. Biela shot him a poisonous look. He grinned fully at her before pulling his attention back to the game.

It was Rhoe verses some upperclassmen. His roommate’s eyes were trained on the game, no doubt being able to drown out the party around him when he was deaf. Rhoe played with practiced ease, as if he had played beer pong plenty of times, or maybe he was just using calculation to score.

   Caius held his breath as the winning point came up. Both Rhoe and his competition swayed on their feet, their visions no doubt doubling from all the alcohol they consumed. The upperclassman threw the ball and missed.

  It was now up to Rhoe to make the winning shot. The freshmen surrounding the table all bore their eyes on Rhoe. His roommate closed his eyes, centering himself before exhaling slowly. Eyes snapping open, Rhoe threw the ball.

   Caius’s eyes followed the ball shoot across the long table, rimming the red plastic cup for what felt like forever for Caius. The ball slid into the glass and Caius breathed, “He won.” He whirled around to face Rhoe and he signed:  _you won!_

  Rhoe’s face broke out into a wide, beautiful grin. Caius pulled Rhoe into a hug and kissed his cheek. He could feel the rumble of laughter come from the boy as he whirled them around yelling, “We won!”

* * *

Ciel paused his video game as Nate came into the room. Looking over the couch, Ciel watched Nate pull his shirt over his head, showing the tattoos across his shoulders and down his arms. “You’re staring, Ciel,” Nate drawled, not bothering to look behind at him as he pulled a tee shirt over his head, flipping his hair out of the collar.

  Ciel snorted as Nate leaped over the side of the couch and landed beside him. Splaying his arm across the back of the couch, Ciel grinned at his roommate. “You missed it,” Ciel said. “Remember that guy you were eye-fucking?”

  Nate tipped his head back, running his hand through his hair. “What about him?”

  “Jax punched him and the guy fucking twisted his arm, bringing him to his knees. Jax had to have at least nine inches on the guy and yet he was reduced to a puddle of tears; It was fucking beautiful.” Nate looked at him, his dark eyes glittering. Ciel patted his thigh. “You have heart eyes my friend.”

  Nate sighed and put his feet up on the coffee table. He looked at his nails before looking at him. “Trust me, I am well aware. Do you know how often I have dreamed of putting my fist through Jax’s face? As far as I’m concerned me and Aysel’s brother are already engaged.”

Ciel laughed and checked the time on his phone. It was closing in on half past midnight. Ciel debated on heading to Sam’s dorm. He hadn’t been able to get the look of Sam’s face from the triathlon out of his head all day, even with the aid of mindless video games and homework.

  Fuck it, he wasn’t going to get any sleep if he didn’t at least check on Sam. He pulled up the man’s number and texted him:  **YOU IN THE MOOD FOR SOME COMPANY?**

Sam’s text was almost instantaneous.  **YES.**

Ciel got to his feet and put the controller away before sliding his phone in his pocket and putting his hair into a half up into a bun, letting the rest of his hair fall at his shoulders. He could feel Nate watching him, bemused. “Leaving me all by my lonesome?”

  “Hell yeah,” Ciel said, “I want to go check on Sam. I think he had a panic attack earlier today. Scared the ever-loving fuck out of me.” Nate’s face became unreadable and unsurprised at the news of Sam having a panic attack. “I’ll see you later, my friend.”


	6. Chapter 6

Dacia opened her eyes and groaned, turning over to look at Biela’s face smoothed out by sleep, her thick raven hair fanned across her bare golden back. She could still feel the woman’s weight on her body, still smell her jasmine and citrus scent, could still taste her.

Biela’s own icy eyes opened. Her smile melted Dacia’s heart. Leaning over, Biela pressed a kiss to Dacia’s lips. It was so soft, so very soft and so warm. Something Dacia would never have thought to associate with Biela Archeron.

  “Good morning,” Biela murmured, tilting her head up, gazing at her beneath dark lashes.

  “Good morning,” Dacia smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She sat the rest of the way up, running a hand through her messy golden hair, the other holding the sheet to her chest. The past weekend, oh it had been wonderful. So very wonderful. But before this could go on, she needed to see Biela’s parents. Alone.

* * *

_At three-thirty, school was out and detention began. Rhoe kept himself busy, helping build the set for the play; it was either that or stare at the clock in a classroom. Forty-five minutes later, Rhoe looked around himself, at the theatre kids and the other two kids in detention and the teacher immersed in her work. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak away._

_Putting the paint brush down, Rhoe slipped out of the auditorium and made his way to the janitor’s closet. With a quick scan of the hallway, he slipped inside and pulled his phone out and texted Ryan:_ **I’M HERE.**

_A few seconds later, Ryan texted him back:_ **ON MY WAY.**

_Leaning against the far back wall, Rhoe crossed his arms and ankles, waiting for Ryan. His best friend, his… boyfriend. Ryan wasn’t in detention; of course he wasn’t, Ryan never got in trouble: He was one of the kids who lived for the stage and was unapologetically himself, even if it got him hell._

_After what felt like forever, the closet door opened and Ryan slipped inside with him. His boyfriend grinned at him, the bruise on his cheek stark against his bright green eyes, his clothing immaculate as ever.  And the next thing Rhoe knew, Ryan’s mouth crushed his own, their hands roaming all over each other._

_Ryan’s mouth opened above his, his hands sliding up beneath Rhoe’s shirt. His heart raced in his chest as he kissed and kissed and kissed Ryan. And when he was out of breath, Rhoe kissed him some more._

_Rhoe ran his hands though Ryan’s silky golden hair. God, he liked this. He liked this so much. He liked Ryan’s calloused fingers roaming and touching him, his mouth on his and going lower, lower, lower. Rhoe braced Ryan’s face, bringing his lips up to the other boy’s; slowly, deliberately. Not the desperate fast, hot kisses from before. He wanted to take him apart and he wanted to take his time, learning every inch of Ryan’s body._

_Rhoe’s eyes went to Ryan’s smiling abused lips as Ryan said, “I can’t believe I’m kissing you._ You.  _Of all the boys in all the world. I’m kissing Rhoe Galathynius.” Rhoe smiled up at him as Ryan dipped his head and kissed him deeply._

_He tipped his head back and closed his eyes as Ryan’s mouth went to Rhoe’s neck, no doubt branding him with a hickey. Rhoe sighed as Ryan’s hands slid up beneath his graphic t-shirt and up his chest, curving around to his back, his nails lightly scratching him._

_He could feel Ryan whispering against his neck between kisses. God, Rhoe ached between his legs; Ryan’s touch and proximity going straight to his cock. He could feel Ryan smile against his skin, as if he knew just how much want and need was combatting against his common sense._

_Ryan cupped Rhoe’s face, lifting it up to his mouth. Rhoe’s own hands went beneath Ryan’s button down champagne colored shirt, the feel of Ryan’s soft skin on his hands sending fire through every inch of him._

_This was just.. it was so much more than want and like. It was something deeper that filled Rhoe with a flood of emotions he wasn’t used to having for someone. Or maybe he always had these emotions; at least where Ryan was concerned._

_Ryan pulled apart from him, licking his lips, his green eyes bright in the pale light streaming from beneath the door. “Come out, Rhoe. We could be together; for real. You just need to be brave enough to choose us, to choose_ me _.”_

 _Anxiety formed into a ball in the pit of his stomach at the thought of coming out. It wasn’t his family he was worried about. It was everyone else and the target to his back._ I want to _, Rhoe signed,_ but I can’t. Look at how you get treated. I can’t-

  _“Yes you can,” Ryan insisted, his eyes bright. “We can get it through this together, I know it. Please.”_

No _, Rhoe signed._ I’m not ready, not yet.

  _Ryan closed his eyes and sighed, but he nodded and pressed a chaste kiss on Rhoe’s lips before straightening his clothes and leaving him alone in the closet; talk about irony. Rhoe tipped his head back and sighed. God he hated this, doing this to him. Of all the people in all the world, hurting Ryan was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He wanted to give Ryan everything he wanted. But in his heart of hearts, Rhoe knew he was a coward and Ryan deserved so much better._

* * *

Rhoe shut down the memory the best he could but it just kept rising back up and strangling him. Seeing Dacia… seeing a girl who looked so much like the boy he loves without any warning, it just brought back a flood of memories he had spent the last eight months trying to forget.

  His heart felt hollow in his chest; he felt like he was drowning and there wasn’t a life raft to grab ahold of. Looking at the clock, Rhoe decided to say ‘Fuck it’ and lay back down and face the wall. He wasn’t going to class. His father could lecture him all he wanted later. He wasn’t moving.

  Rhoe looked at the leather bracelet around his wrist and felt the millions of memories tied to it, feeling everything that is Ryan. He covered his mouth, doing his best to smother the sobs that broke out of his throat. This was his own fault. If only he had the courage to choose Ryan things would be so different.

* * *

Bay knocked on the heavy oak door, still bristling from the summons he had gotten from the dean herself; Amren Draki. He had a sinking feeling the order had something to do with the bruise on his jaw and the brace on Jax’s arm. He didn’t know why there was a brace: he did  _not_ break or sprain it. Maybe it just hurt like hell and was bruised and that was why he wore a brace. Or maybe he did it for sympathy.

“Come in,” a voice cut through the wood. His skin crawled at the ice in her voice.

  Steeling his spine, Bay entered the office and every suspicion he had was confirmed as he looked at Jax’s veiled smug expression. Bay forced himself to not stalk over to him and break his pretty face, to have him look as he was on the inside: Ugly. Instead he exhaled sharply and sat in the chair across from Amren.

The dean’s silver eyes looked between them coolly, her red fingertips pressed together. Bay could almost feel the undercurrent of her wrath in the air. But he was just too pissed at being pulled from hockey practice with just a few days to the game coming up to be smartly afraid. “Do you know why you’re here?”

Bay folded his arms over his chest. “I can hazard a guess,” Bay bit out, giving Jax a death glare; the boy had the right idea to shrink back. He shifted his gaze back to the dean, “Do you want to hear my side preferably  _before_  you expel me?”

  Sketching a brow, the dean took a long drink from what he assumed was coffee, though some of the students’ stories said it was blood. “I would watch my tone if I were you.”

  “Sorry,” Bay muttered.

Jax coughed, no doubt covering up a laugh; the dean just eyed him to which Jax immediately stopped. Bay summoned every shred of self-control from reaching over and popping him upside the head. He didn’t know what it was about Jax but he  _hated_ him. He annoyed the ever-loving  _fuck_  out of Bay. Wait a minute… he reminded him of  _Karis_ with that insufferable smirk and air of arrogance.  _That_  was why he hated him so much. Lovely.

Leaning back in her chair, Amren folded her arms over her chest. “I do not need you to tell me what happened Mr. Perditus.” Her eyes cut to Jax. “There were plenty of witnesses that said that Mr. Apateon threw the first punch.”

  Bay barely held back his laugh as Jax’s face turned the color of paper as he shrunk back against his chair, his eyes cast downward. Stupid bastard. This is what he got for instigating fights and breaking campus rules not even two weeks into the school year.

  “I am well within my rights to have both of you boys out of my school in seconds. It would be the smart thing to wash my hands of you both if you’re causing trouble already.”

  Fear seized him. Real fear. Bay willed his heart to not start pounding and he willed himself to not open his mouth and make things worse for himself.

Jax shot forward. “Ma’am-”                                                      

 Amren shot him a look, her chin length black hair swishing. Jax immediately shut his mouth. Stupid bastard. “ _However_ ,” Amren said, “I’m in a forgiving mood. You’ll both be permitted to stay in my school if you do community service with the groundskeepers on Saturdays. Starting next Saturday at nine a.m.”

_What._

“Mr. Perditus,” Amren said, “You’ll have ten hours and you, Mr. Apateon will have twenty-five: For throwing the first punch and for  _bombing the bathrooms_.” Jax shrunk further into his chair. “If either of you make it more trouble than it’s worth you’ll find yourselves expelled and looking for somewhere else to go to college. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” the both said.

Amren nodded, flicking her hand towards the door behind the two of them in dismissal. “Good. Then get out of my sight. I better not see either of you two in my office again. Now  _out_.”

Bay didn’t have to be told twice. He was up and out that door in seconds. He didn’t slow down as he fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen: three texts from his sister, each telling him what would happen if he didn’t show soon.

He dialed her number and put the phone to his ear and after three rings, his sister answered. “ _Hello Bay._ ”

“Aysel please tell me you didn’t drink my coffee,” Bay said, jogging down the steps of the Admin Building, the sun seeping through his shirt almost instantly.

“ _I’ve been waiting for you at the coffeehouse for the past forty minutes. You know it’s unwise to keep me waiting that long. I’m even less patient than you. I cannot be held accountable for what I do when left to my own devices._ ” He could hear Artemis laughing in the background.

Bay pinched the bridge of his nose as he stalked through the courtyard. “Aysel.”

“ _Oh relax. I haven’t touched your beloved coffee; I prefer breathing too much. You’ll find it’s safe and untouched here with me and Artemis at_ Rita’s _. I’d hurry if I were you, I just finished my second drink and yours is looking mighty good right about now.”_

“Thank fuck,” Bay said. “I’m on my way there. Give me five minutes.”

* * *

The soft rock music of  _Rita’s_ was drowned out by the throng of customers flooded in the coffeeshop. Nate had been running ragged getting people their orders. He was far too busy to have been able to ask Aysel about her brother.

Nate braced his tattooed hands on the smooth black countertop, giving the black-haired boy a lazy grin. “What can I get you, handsome?” The boy’s face was thinly veiled with disgust. Nate leaned back and suppressed an eyeroll. “Oh relax. You aren’t my type. I’m not going to try to kiss you. What’s your order?”  _Or are you afraid I’m infect it with HIV?_

The relief on the boy’s face was painfully visible as he ordered his drink. Nate was glad the boy was soon out of his face. He took order after order, the line in front of him never ending. The next customer came up as the door dinged.

Nate’s eyes lifted instantly, looking at an ash blond boy come in.  _Aysel’s brother_. He watched the boy look around the coffeeshop before his hazel-green eyes locked on his and widen slightly. Nate couldn’t help but give the boy a lazy grin.

It only grew as a blush bloomed in the boy’s cheeks and ears. Nate almost shook his head: all he did was smile and the boy was blushing. It was incredibly hot.

Nate gave him an indulgent look-over as he took the girl’s order. The boy’s short hair went into his eyes, so many shades of ash gold. It made his hard hazel-green eyes lighter. He had to be in sports with how toned he appeared to be beneath that clinging black shirt and dark wash denim jeans. Nate wondered if there were freckles beneath that shirt. God, he wanted to see if he was right.

Dog tags glinted around the boy’s neck. Nate frowned. Was he in the military? The hard look on his face seemed to belong to one of a soldier, he had seen a similar look on Blake’s face after his first deployment. But the boy couldn’t be much older than eighteen. So maybe the dog tags belonged to someone else?

The boy tore his eyes from him a heartbeat later and scanned the coffee shop. With a final look at him, Aysel’s brother stalked down the aisle towards his sister’s table. Nate took note of the bar going through the boy’s ear: How  _interesting_. But then his eyes lowered and he grinned.  _You have such a great ass._  Aysel’s brother just kept getting more and more fascinating.

* * *

Aysel took a long drink from her third coffee, taking note of her brother locking eyes with Nate. Rarely had she ever seen Bay give anyone such undivided attention like that, even if it was only for a few seconds. Plans started forming in her mind as he strode down the aisle, sliding into the dark booth in front of her and Artemis.

Bay reached over and took his coffee and brought it up to his lips wordlessly. Aysel rose her brows at the look of pure ecstasy on her brother’s face. “Care to tell us why you were so late getting here?”

 A small crease appeared between Bay’s eyebrows as he sat his coffee down and glowered at the table. “I got community service for twisting Jax’s arm,” he muttered. “Jax had a  _brace_.”

Artemis shot forward and slammed her light brown hand on the table. “What! That’s so unfair! That racist jackass started it!”

Bay slug his arms over the back of the booth, giving Artemis a wry smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah well, life’s unfair. I’ve long since given up on the idea that we ever actually get what we deserve.”

Artemis rose a brow and pointed at him. “You my friend are a ray of sunshine. Have you always been this positive?”

Aysel frowned. Bay didn’t sound positive, as a matter of fact he sounded very negative. Oh wait, that must have been the point, she was being sarcastic. Aysel laughed.

Bay’s eyes glittered. “Always.” His eyes shifted to hers. “We better head out, Ays. You got class with our mother. You know how she is with tardiness.”

* * *

Bay got up from the booth, following Artemis and Aysel through the coffeeshop. He couldn’t help but look at the pretty barista at the counter, at the long black hair or the depthless eyes or light brown skin covered in tattoos. And those piercings.  _Damn_.

The barista gave him another lazy grin as he filled the orders. A surge of involuntary blush crept up into Bay’s face as he locked eyes with him for a heartbeat before following his sister out of the coffeeshop.

His face was so warm and it had nothing to do with the scorching temperature at ten in the morning. He took a long drink from his coffee and walked in step with his sister. Aysel side glanced him, her expression thoughtful. “Enjoying your coffee?” She asked lightly. “Is it sweet enough?”

  Bay frowned at her. “You cannot have my coffee, Aysel. You already had three. If Nesta knew she’d chew you out.”

She shook her head, a faint smile playing on her dark red lips. “No. Nate knows you like your coffee sweet. I just wanted to make sure it was sweet  _enough_. Besides,” she said flipping her hair over her shoulder. “It’s not like you have room to talk with how much you sugar you consume on a daily basis.” Artemis snorted.

“Oh,” Bay said, looking behind him at the coffeeshop, as if he could see the boy. “So  _that’s_ Nate. You two have talked about him enough I was starting to wonder if he was a real person or if you made him up to fuck with me.”

 Although now that he had a face to the name, that boy was far too pretty to even be real. He was easily the prettiest fucking boy he had ever seen. With the lazy grin on Nate’s face, Bay thought that the boy must knew the affect he had on people. On him.

Aysel snorted, her blue-grey eyes glittering. “No, he’s real. And he’s gay so you don’t need to worry about me taking advantage of him.” She tipped her head back and sighed. “Why must the prettiest boys be gay?”

Bay reigned in a sigh as he unwrapped a grape sucker and shoved it in his mouth. He had been hoping the boy was straight, to give him a deliberate reason to  _not_  pursue him. But his stomach was also fluttering. He couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to kiss him, especially with that lip ring; to imagine what it would be like to run his fingers through that silky black hair.

He shook his head, getting the thoughts to stop. He didn’t even know him. But with as much as Aysel and Artemis had told him about Nate… the boy seemed kind and loving and warm. Aysel had grown attached to him for whatever reason. It would be a very dangerous game to get involved with a boy his sister was friends with.

“I think Ash would take offense to that Ays,” Bay said, trying to change the line of conversation. “With as much as he is in love with himself, I’m sure he thinks he’s the prettiest thing alive.”

Artemis looked at him. “What about you? Don’t  _you_ think you’re pretty?”

His cheeks warmed. “No,” Bay said, thinking about the scars on his back or the burns on his arms. “I don’t. I don’t have an inflated ego like my brother.”

Artemis snorted. “You my friend should buy a mirror. You could get any girl with a face like that.” Bay arched his brows and Aysel laughed. “What! It’s true! Your family has way too many good-looking people in it. It’s so unfair.”

 Aysel whirled on Artemis. “Lies! I have seen your family Artemis Ashryver. Your dad is a babe and I would kill to have your pretty black curly hair. It’s so  _thick_. And let’s face it, you have great boobs.” Aysel looked down at her chest and frowned. “I’d love to have boobs like that. Mine are so small.”

“Please,” Bay groaned, holding up his hands. “ _Stop_.”

He may be gay but he really,  _really_ did not want to hear his sister speak ‘girl talk’. It was enough to make his ears bleed.

Artemis smiled at Aysel and kissed her cheek. “Thanks roomie but these are a curse. Trust me on this. It hurts my back. And they are so hard to  _bind._ ”

Bay pulled his phone out of his pocket and put his headphones on as the girls started debating the pros and cons of being a girl. He turned the music up loud enough to block out their conversation and his mind went unwillingly to Nate.

* * *

Dacia parked her car in front of Feyre and Rhys’s house. She willed herself to remain calm as she smoothed down her golden hair nervously and checked her make-up. She knew Feyre and Rhys didn’t like her, didn’t want their daughter around her.

She had put up those walls between herself and Biela so that Biela’s strenuous relationship with her mother wouldn’t get threatened. But over the weekend… those walls were demolished over and over. Whatever this was between them… it couldn’t go on any longer without Feyre and Rhys being okay with their relationship. She may not have a relationship with her mother but that did not mean that Biela couldn’t have one either. The bond between a mother and daughter was everything… not that she knew of course.

She got out and made her way up to the front door. She took a shuddering breath and pressed the doorbell. A minute later a woman with golden-brown hair and blue-grey eyes answered. Feyre. “Dacia,” Feyre blinked, her voice wary. “What can I do for you?”

Dacia ran a curl behind her ear and smiled shakily at the woman. “I wanted to talk to you and your husband. Do you have a minute?”

Feyre’s face became unreadable. “My husband is busy, at a council meeting. But you can talk to me.” She opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

Dacia stepped through the door, following Feyre through the house to the living room. She hadn’t missed the reluctance or the formality in the woman’s voice. It did nothing to sooth the nerves jumbling in her.

Feyre sat in a comfortably worn chair and motioned for Dacia to sit across from her in a similar chair. Dacia sat but she couldn’t help her eyes lingering through the room, imagining a little Biela dancing or playing with her baby brother. She turned her eyes to Feyre. “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Archeron.”

 Feyre smiled tightly. “Thank you. What did you need to talk to me about? I’m assuming this is about Biela? Is she in trouble?”

 Dacia shook her head. “No, she’s not in trouble. But it is about her. She doesn’t know I’m here.” Feyre merely rose a brow and Dacia took a shuddering breath, steeling her spine. “I love your daughter,” she said firmly. “More than anything. I know you aren’t fond of me or my parents but I am not them. I would  _never_  hurt Biela.”  
  


Feyre sighed and leaned back in her chair. “When I was eighteen, I had a boyfriend.” Dacia’s heart crumbled. She was talking about her father. “A little arrogant and kind. He was golden and the school loved him. As did my father. You see, he only had girls and he wanted a son and my boyfriend was like that for him. Until after a while, my boyfriend started getting controlling. He didn’t like my friends and he didn’t like the way I dressed. He was under a lot of stress from his team and from his parents, he said. And then he started getting physical when we fought. Once a fight had gotten rough enough he fractured my arm.”

Dacia’s entire body flinched and she swallowed thickly. “Mrs. Archeron-”

 “No,” Feyre said coolly. “Let me finish. I finally left him. I met Rhys and I broke things off with Tamlin. And a few years later I had a little girl and I promised her I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. Ever. Fast forward twenty years and my little girl brings home Tamlin’s daughter. I was reluctant to let you stay with her. And after a fight that lasted weeks, I gave in. I said as long as it just remains roommates and nothing more, I can live with that. She may resent me forever but I would rather have her scorn than have her hurt. Do you understand?”

Dacia blinked back tears. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

“No,” Feyre said firmly. “There isn’t. I’m sorry Dacia but I cannot condone this. My answer is no.”

Dacia nodded and stood, straightening out her shirt. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll go now.”

Dacia went out to her car with the feeling of Feyre Archeron’s blue-grey eyes on her back. Tears streamed down her face before she even pulled out of the long drive and drove the two hours back to the city.

* * *

Caius’s smile faltered as he opened the door to his dorm, finding Rhoe in bed, facing the wall, his arms wrapped around himself. He closed the door and went up to Rhoe’s bed. Something was wrong. He’d bet anything Rhoe hadn’t moved from his bed all day.

He climbed in beside Rhoe and put his arms around him. Rhoe hadn’t even flinched at the sudden shift in the bed. Either he knew Caius was there or he just didn’t care if something happened to him. Either way Caius wasn’t going to leave him alone.

Rhoe turned around and looked up at him. Caius’s heart cracked at how red and vacant Rhoe’s gold-rimmed eyes were. He didn’t know what was wrong, he seemed fine this weekend. Better than fine even.

“I’m sorry,” Caius said, making sure Rhoe could read his lips. “I’m sorry for whatever’s wrong.”

Tears filled Rhoe’s eyes to the rim and he nodded, pressing his face to Caius’s chest. Rhoe’s shoulder’s shook with the force of his crying. He didn’t know how to help his friend. He didn’t know what to do so he just held onto him, letting him cry.

 He held onto him for so long. After an hour, Caius reluctantly let go of him and made him some food. Rhoe just sat in his bed with his legs drawn up to his chest and he stared at a spot in front of him. He was so still, almost as if he were a statue.

Caius slid a plate of scones in front of Rhoe and lifted his chin up so he was looking at him. The boy did so without a fight, though his eyes were still far away. Caius could feel his heart break more. Where was the smile that he had grown accustomed to? Had he taken it for advantage, was this how Rhoe  _normally_ was?

 _Eat_ , Caius signed.  _You need to eat. You haven’t eaten all day, have you?_

Rhoe looked down at the food in front of him and slowly blinked and slowly, so very slowly, he started eating and some life started coming back into his face and he slowly signed,  _Thank you._

Caius smiled and sat down on the other end of his bed. He watched his roommate eat slowly and he wondered what had happened to make him so upset. Rhoe had been fine all day yesterday. He wasn’t stupid enough to ask. He didn’t  _need_ to know so he wouldn’t ask. And he highly doubted he’d get an answer anyways.

Rhoe looked up at him beneath his dark grey lashes and signed,  _I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you._

Caius blinked.  _You didn’t scare me._

Rhoe smiled weakly.  _I’m deaf. I can read facial expressions better than most. And you, my Lord, were scared. I’m sorry. I’m just-_ his signing faltered-  _I’m just having a bad day._

Caius nodded slowly and crossed his legs. Hell of a bad day if he hadn’t left their room all day. But before he could respond a knock came at the dorm door. He patted Rhoe’s knee and got up to answer it only to see Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius standing at the door with his arms crossed. “Can I have a minute with my son?”

He hesitated and looked back at his roommate who was giving his father an unimpressed look. He must have known his father would show up when he didn’t appear for class. Rhoe’s eyes shifted to his and he signed,  _I’m fine. Just go._

* * *

Rowan watched the interaction with his son and his roommate. Just a few weeks and they already appeared close. It was something he hadn’t seen since Ryan. Caius frowned at Rhoe’s words and then just said, “I’ll be outside if you need me.” His violet eyes shifted to meet his. “Give him a break. He’s had a rough day.”

As Caius left the dorm Rowan went up to his son but the bloodshot look in his gold-rimmed eyes stopped the lecture that was about to come from his mouth. Instead, Rowan sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “I know you’re upset, Rhoe, about Ryan but you  _can’t_ skip class. If you miss too many classes your teachers can drop you and you’ll have to make up the course next semester.”

Rhoe just stared at him blankly and he got up and walked out of the room without so much as a word to him. Rowan ran his hands through his hair and sighed deeply. The past eight months had been hell for his family but with how Rhoe had been acting since starting school… he had hoped his son was finally moving forward. He was wrong.

* * *

Caius watched Rhoe yank the door open and storm down the hallway. He looked at Rhoe’s father with narrowed eyes. “What did you say to him?” Caius demanded. “Can’t you tell he’s upset?”

  He didn’t wait for Rowan to respond and he ran after his roommate. Rhoe’s face was blank. There were no tears or any emotion at all. It scared the hell out of him.  They made it outside when Caius finally stopped Rhoe.

 _Go to the park with me_ , Caius signed.  _I could use a change of scenery and I don’t want to go alone._

Rhoe just looked at him, completely unimpressed with his sad excuse of a lie. He just looked and looked at him and just when Caius thought Rhoe would tell him to go to hell, Rhoe signed,  _Sure._

  Caius smiled and pulled Rhoe to his car. It was a ten minute drive to his favorite park in the city and Rhoe hadn’t said a word to him at all, he just stared out the window, completely immersed in his thoughts.

* * *

Biela could feel something was wrong all day. All day she could feel something off and it made her rehearsal sloppy and full of mistakes, to the point her dance instructor told her to go home. Her retort had been on the tip of her tongue, to tell Morrigan to go to hell but she was right, she was off her game and needed a break.

She walked through her apartment, expecting the place to be empty but she found Dacia in her room. And with boxes.  _Packing._ “Cia?” She asked in a low voice. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Dacia stood and faced her, her green eyes bright. Biela’s eyes narrowed at the smeared eyeliner and her stiff cheeks. “I think it’s time I moved. This was a mistake. I’m going to stay with one of the girls from the club.”

Biela crossed her arms and rose her chin. “I think not. Care to tell me why you’re suddenly wanting to move?”

Dacia exhaled slowly. “Bea.. I’m just going to hurt you. I can’t do that to you. You’ve given me so much and I can never repay your kindness.”

  Biela scoffed. “Please. I’m rich. You don’t need to repay me.” She paused and thought over Dacia’s words. Her heart shuddered in her chest and she refrained from punching something. “Those aren’t your words,” Biela said coldly. “Those are my  _mother’s._ ”

  “Maybe she-”

  Biela stalked forward and clamped Dacia’s mouth with her hand. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. She is not right and either way, her input is not fucking needed.  _I_  am dating you, not her. The only person’s opinion who should matter to you is  _mine._ ” She leveled a look and removed her hand. “The only way you are moving is if you move into my room. Otherwise you’re getting rid of these boxes. Understood?”

  Dacia wiped her cheek and sniffled. “I don’t want to come between you and your mother. That relationship is so important.”

  Biela rolled her eyes and cupped Dacia’s face, wiping a tear from her cheek with her thumb. “You aren’t getting between anything. It’s her own damned fault for meddling. She had no right in deciding who I fuck or who I love.”

Dacia gave her a weak smile. “You love me?”

  “Of course,” Biela said. She slid her hands in the back of Dacia’s jean pockets and pulled her flesh up against her. She could feel her heart melting in her chest as she smiled up at her. “Who else would put up with my nonsense?”

“Evangeline.”

“True,” she allowed. “But Evangeline doesn’t fuck girls which only leaves you. So you get me by default.”

Dacia pressed her forehead against hers and looked down at her with glittering leafy green eyes. “Lucky me.”

  “Lucky you,” Biela murmured, pressing a kiss deeply to Dacia’s lips. “You are not moving out. You are not your parents. You are Dacia Lyall, the woman I love and no one can take that from you. Not me, not your parents and sure as hell  _not_ my mother.”

Dacia ran her fingers through Biela’s raven black hair and smiled against her mouth. “I love you too, Biela.”

* * *

Class finished and Dex made his way to the front of the room. His French teacher was a slight woman with black hair and grey eyes and an attitude that left little to be desired. He stood with her while they waited for the mysterious Samaentha to show up. He could have cut the awkwardness in the room with a knife.

He was ready to say ‘fuck it’ when a girl with golden hair tied up with chopsticks and obsidian eyes came in through the door with a smirk and an aura of confidence. But when she locked eyes with him, she stopped dead in her tracks. “ _You’re_ Declan Salvaterre?”

He folded his arms over his chest and glowered at her. He had wondered what had happened to the girl from the party. Who would have thought she was his tutor? “It’s Dex. I thought your name was Connie.”

‘Samaentha’ folded her own bronze arms over her chest and gave him a cool, unimpressed look over. “No, I’m Sammi. Connie is my twin sister. We’re identical. Your friend got us mixed up.” Dex snorted. A twin sister. Really. How original. The girl’s eyes narrowed as she came closer to him and the teacher. “Careful  _Declan,_  I have claws.”

Yeah and there were plenty of good places she could put those claws. He just grinned down at her, ignoring the teacher’s arched brows and glittering eyes. “When are we starting? I have hockey practice at six in the morning and in the afternoon.”

She cocked her head. “I have volleyball practice at eight a.m. so Tuesdays and Thursdays at two in the afternoon? Will that work for you or do you have to provide shade for someone?”

  He just stared at her. Not many girls talked to him like this, especially a girl he had nearly a foot on. How refreshing. “It works just fine. You better be good,  _Sammi_. I’m not getting benched because of an incompetent tutor.”

  She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “If you get benched because of your grades the only person you have to blame is yourself. I’m a fan-fucking-tastic tutor and have tutored boys with brains the size of a peanut.” A wolfish smile spread on her lips, her obsidian eyes glittering. “I’m sure tutoring a tree is a piece of cake.”

  He blinked and then pulled out his phone, handing it to her. “Here. Put in your number.” Her eyes went down to his smartphone and she took it and grinned at the screensaver. “Don’t even,” he warned.

She put in her number and handed him his phone, her smile turning teasing. “You have a picture of your mom on your screen, how cute. I bet you use that to get yourself laid, don’t you?”  She cocked her head. “Or are you a true mama’s boy?”

  He glowered at her and before he could respond to her jab she whirled away and sauntered out of the room with a wave back at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dex. Better be ready to learn!”

* * *

Rhoe got out of the car and walked through the park. He was trying to figure out why he had agreed to come to the park. With everything between him and Ryan, this was the last place he should want to be. But he couldn’t help it. While being in the park made his heart hurt, it also was the place where everything began.

 _Ryan had to be here. He had looked for the bastard for the past two hours and he hadn’t been able to find him. Ryan had become dodgy and distant for the past several weeks and Rhoe had_ had it. _He stalked past the swings and the slides before_ finally  _finding him sitting on the merry-go-round with his head in his hands._

 _Rhoe’s heart shuddered in his chest and he made himself go up to him. Ryan nearly jumped at the sudden weight added to the carousel, maybe thinking that it was his father. Rhoe shook his head and signed,_ It’s just me.

 _Ryan looked him over and nodded a little before signing,_ Go away. I don’t want to talk to you.

  _Rhoe’s teeth mashed together and he went over to him and pulled him off the merry-go-round. Ryan may have inches on him but he was stronger than he looked and he was_ pissed.  _Ryan stared down at him, his face carefully closed off._ What’s wrong?  _Rhoe signed._ What did I do to make you so mad at me?

   _Ryan looked him over, the rain making his golden hair drip into his eyes. Rhoe’s eyes went to Ryan’s lips.  “You didn’t do anything, Rhoe.”_

Bullshit _, Rhoe signed angrily._ You’ve been a colossal jackass for weeks. I want to know what the fuck I did to make you hate me so much. I thought I was your friend.

_Ryan’s eyes sparked and he stalked up to him. Rhoe had never seen him so angry before. Or so close. It made his heartbeat pound in his ears. Ryan stared down at him, his chest rising and falling heavily._

  _He was almost certain Ryan was crying and that the rain was mixing with his tears. Rhoe’s heart sank in his chest._ What did I do? _Rhoe signed, willing himself not to cry also._ Why are you so mad at me?

  _Ryan visibly swallowed and just when Rhoe thought Ryan was going to turn away, the boy curled his fingers into Rhoe’s shirt and pulled him close, slamming his lips down on his. Rhoe completely froze, surprise flooding through him as his best friend kissed and kissed him._

_Ryan finally pulled back from him, such deep guilt shone in his eyes as he looked down at him and said, “That’s what’s wrong. I don’t hate you, Rhoe. I’m in love with you.”_

_Rhoe blinked and blinked at him, at his best friend, really, his only friend. He was in love with him?_ Why?  _There were plenty of boys out there who had friends and didn’t have to buy their way into friendship._

 _His heart almost skipped a beat as he stared at him, trying to find an answer in his beautiful face. Ryan closed his eyes and signed,_ I’m sorry  _as he went to walk away Rhoe grabbed his arm and pulled his face down to his._

 _Ryan didn’t so much as hesitate from kissing him back as his arms snaked around, pulling Rhoe closer to him. His own arms went around Ryan’s neck as Ryan kissed him fervently, almost as if he were afraid Rhoe would change his mind and walk away. As if he were_ capable  _of it._

 _He couldn’t quite piece together what he was doing. That he was kissing his best friend, that he was kissing a_ boy _. It was nothing like the girls he had kissed, this… this somehow felt right, like something had been missing and he didn’t know what. It terrified him and it thrilled him. It made him want more and more._

_Ryan pulled apart from him, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he looked down at him with glittering green eyes. “You’re bi?”_

_Rhoe hesitated and ran a hand through his soaking silver hair as he tried catching his own breath. There was always something missing when he kissed a girl. He wanted to be straight, he had wanted to like girls in the way he liked Ryan, he had_ tried _. But… he just didn’t. He shook his head and signed,_ No.

  _Ryan’s brows furrowed and then shot up. “You’re gay,” he deducted. “You like boys.” His eyes widened in realization as he smiled down at him. “You like_ me.”

_Rhoe nodded and Ryan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, his thumb wiping away his tears as he cradled Rhoe’s face. Rhoe’s eyes instantly closed as fire roiled in his veins, warming him in the pouring rain. The kiss was so soft and yet it obliterated him._

Rhoe blinked and blinked as he forced himself to the present, back to Caius and the gaping hole in his chest. It had been eight months, eight months since Rhoe destroyed everything between them. Eight months since Ryan had his heart and destroyed it with a single act.

He swallowed thickly and palmed his eyes, counting to ten in his head, stopping himself from crying. He had been crying all day and he needed to stop. Especially with Caius’s violet eyes looking at him, wondering what it is that has him such a mess. He was thankful the boy didn’t ask him what’s wrong. Rhoe didn’t think he had the strength to tell him. As much as he liked Caius, he didn’t really know him.

Caius just took his hand and guided him up to the swings. He sat in the swing and looked up at Caius and signed,  _You can’t do that again. You can’t hold me like that again._

Caius sketched a brow and cocked his head, his black hair falling into his confused eyes.  _Why not?_

Rhoe shook his head.  _Because friends don’t cuddle. Boyfriends do and I am_ not _your boyfriend._

Caius snorted and sat in the swing next to him.  _I am well aware you’re not my boyfriend, Prince. Besides, girls cuddle all the time, why can’t we? It doesn’t mean you’re gay if you want to be held by your guy friends when you’re upset._

Rhoe hesitated and kicked at the sand, watching the grain fly as he thought about Caius’s words. He had a point and he  _had_  felt better when Caius had his arms around him, giving him something solid to lean against.  _Okay,_  Rhoe signed.  _You’re right._

Caius smiled triumphantly.

* * *

Lyria ignored the squeeze of hunger in her stomach and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms, watching her boyfriend lean over the desk, doing pre-med homework.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and sauntered up behind him, running her hands down his forearms as she pressed a kiss below his ear. “You’ve been studying for hours,” she whispered against his skin. “You should take a break.”

  Gavriel wrapped his fingers around her hand and tilted his head back and looked up at her, smiling. “And I’m guessing you’re going to help me?”

Lyria went around the chair and slipped into his lap, resting her hands on his shoulders. “I’m bored,” Lyria said lightly. “And you’re too hot for me to stay bored all by my lonesome.”

Gavriel’s lion eyes flared as her hand slid up his shirt. She just smirked and leaned down and kissed him hard on the mouth. A low moan slipped from Gavriel’s throat as she ground in his lap, her hands going into his long golden hair. “You’re killing me here,” her boyfriend groaned against her mouth.

She pulled his shirt off him and gave his defined chest an indulgent look over as she lightly scraped her nails down his torso and leaned forward not even an inch from his parted lips. “Oh come now,” she purred, “if I killed you I’d have to break in a new boyfriend and they’d just pale in comparison to your pretty face.”

A deep rumble that sounded suspiciously like a moan came from Gavriel as he cupped her face and pressed their foreheads together. “You really know how to sell your wares don’t you?”

  She pouted and put pressure on her nails. “Come on, you know you want to. I’m sure you can find a much better use for your anatomy and physiology knowledge than  _homework_.” She ground against his lap and smiled deviously when she felt the telltale erection digging into her. “I could take care of that for you if you’d let me,” she said innocently.

He groaned and gripped her thighs and pressed his lips to her throat. “Fine,” he rasped. She shuddered involuntary at the scrape of teeth against her skin. A low throaty laugh loosed from him.  _Bastard_. “You win, Princess.”

She pulled back and grabbed a condom from the desk and smirked down at him, opening the packaging with her teeth. “Was it really winning if it were just an inevitability?”

His head tipped back as she slid off his lap and got two her knees. She pressed hot kisses against the skin of his abdomen as she undid his belt and fly, tugging his pants and underwear down. She eyed his throbbing cock and rolled the condom on.

She pressed a scorching kiss to his thigh before she got up to her feet. Gavriel watched her with blown-out tawny eyes as he wetted his lips, his golden hair tousled and falling in his face as she played at the hem of her skirt and slid it and her panties off. It was so painfully easy to get that look from him, the look of a starving man before a feast. God she loved it.

  Lyria then hooked her arms around his neck as she climbed back onto his lap, guiding his throbbing cock into her. A moan slid from between her lips as his hips lifted slowly in reply to her wet heat.

She closed her eyes as she adjusted to having his length inside her and rocked her hips, taking pleasure in the delicious sounds coming from the man she loved. She opened her eyes and looked down at his pleading, hungry look that told her she owned every piece of him.  “More fun than homework, hmm?”

His answer was a crushing kiss and calloused hands lost in her hair. She pulled away from his lips and pulled her shirt off. Soon enough, Gavriel’s mouth was on her breast, his tongue lazily tracing her nipple as she rolled her hips into him. She tugged his hair back, lifting his face to hers and she pressed a hard kiss on his lips.

He moaned against her mouth as she went about riding up and sinking back down in a steady pace. Lyria’s nails scratched up his back as he bit her lip and kissed her soundly, his muscled arms going around her. A growl sat in the bottom of her throat as she pushed back into his mouth, ignoring the taste of copper.

Her skin scorched as he ran his hands over her body with practiced ease. Her heart raced through every inch of her, their breaths mingling, sending heat and need pulsing through her. He whispered against her skin, sending shivers through her body as he thrusted.

She could feel him smirk as a moan loosed from her throat. Bastard.  _Bastard_. For making her feel like her body was on fire, like her world started and ended with his mouth on her skin. Lyria bit into his shoulder and rolled her hips into him again and again. Fuck.  _Fuck_.

Lyria’s heart racketed as she went over the edge again and again, her fingers lost in the damp strands of his golden hair. Her head tipped back as Gaviel’s mouth bit her breast. God, this man, this beautiful man with his broad hands and wary smile that had her a mess since the day she laid her eyes on him. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, his hands going into her damp hair, tipping her forehead down to press to his. “So fucking beautiful. I love you.”

Lyria’s breath escaped her, her chest rising and falling as her own hands clasped his face, her thumb brushing his bottom abused lip. “Love you too, Kitty- Cat.”

  His eyes glittered as he pulled her mouth down to his, kissing her hard at the nickname she had given him. Lyria grabbed at the back of the chair as she undulated her hips and rocked into him fluidly. She smirked against his mouth at the sound tearing from his throat. “Fuck,” he whispered, tipping his head back against the chair. “ _Fuck_.”

Lyria rolled her hips, her nails digging into her boyfriend’s shoulder, as she rode him. He looked up at her with black hungry eyes that had her wanting to ignite, wanting to dig her nails deeper into his golden skin. He kissed her hard, deeply, achingly. As if  _his_ world started and end with her mouth.

He kissed her like he was drowning at sea and she was the one thing keeping him from damnation. She rocked her hips and pulled him closer as she went faster, harder. He barked a curse and she caught his lips with hers, swallowing his moan as he went over the edge.

They sat there panting and catching their breaths, her hands in his hair and his body deliciously plaint and glistening beneath hers. Lyria patted his chest and leaned down, her damp hair falling on his skin. “I bet I make your AP classes fun, huh?”    

A deep rumble of laughter came from Gavriel. “That you do, Princess.”

* * *

Ash walked back and forth through his dorm with his arms behind his back as he waited for his brother. The irritation he felt for Dex refusing to leave the dorm was drowned out by the dread he knew how Bay was going to react about the lecture he was about to give.      

“You’re an idiot for trying to lecture Bay on a Monday,” Dex said, his hands laced on top his head. “He’s been in a bad mood all day, especially with being pulled from practice.”

 He didn’t know why he was pulled and he didn’t care. Ash didn’t look at him. “Stick to what you know, Tree, and provide shade to someone. This is between me and my brother.”

He ignored the pinned glare between his shoulders and stopped in his tracks as the door to the dorm opened. Bay just stalked through and dropped his duffle at the end of his bed with a loud ‘ _thump_ ’ and looked him over beneath furrowed brows. “No.”

Ash just crossed his arms and looked down at him. “Yes. We’re going to talk about this and you are going to fucking  _listen_ to me or so help me  _God_  I will kick your self-destructive midget ass.”

Bay folded his arms over his chest and gave him a black glare. “Well go on then, Ashton.” Dex snorted. “I’m sure you’ve wanted to lecture me since Saturday.”

Ash pointed at him. “I’ve wanted to lecture you since we were  _eight_.”

  “I am  _fine_ ,” Bay snapped. “I’ve got a pulse and good grades and everything.” As if those things dictated someone being okay.

  “You haven’t been fine since you were six years old and your mother died,” Ash countered. Bay went incredibly still, his fingers curling into tight fists at his sides, his lips in a firm line. “You haven’t been fine. You are a wreck and you’re killing yourself without actually doing it.”

  Dex stood then, looking between them expectantly, his shoulders poised and ready for a fight. “ _Ash-_ ” Dex started in a low voice.

Bay held up his hand, cutting off the rest of Dex’s words. “Don’t you  _dare_  bring my mother into this,” Bay said with a lethal calm.

“I am  _sorry_  she died,” Ash said quietly. Bay’s hand went instinctively to the dog tags around his throat, his face closed off and controlled, his eyes hard shards of green ice. “I couldn’t imagine losing my mom and getting thrown with a relative I didn’t know but you got to stop. She wouldn’t want you running yourself into the ground like you are. You got sick because you refused to listen to me.”

He could tell Bay was struggling to not punch him. Granted if it were  _he_ that was getting this lecture he would have punched the offender as soon as the source of his pain was mentioned. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bay said tightly. “Stop trying to save me. I don’t need to be saved.”

“Fuck if you don’t,” Ash snarled. “You’re so bent on self-destruction you don’t even realize that you’re drowning in grief and are dead inside.”

Bay shook his head and tried storming past him, just for Ash to grab his arm. Bay pushed him, the force propelling him back a few steps, and pointed at him. “Don’t  _fucking_  touch me. You follow me and I’m knocking your teeth down your goddamned  _throat_.” Dex’s brows shot up.

“Bay,” Dex said.

His brother stormed past him and slammed the dorm door behind him. Ash went to go after him only to be stopped by Dex. “Let him go. You don’t want to go after him.”

“Oh yes I do,” Ash said, trying to move past him.

Dex folded his arms over his chest and blocked him, his dark eyes filled with a steel resolve. “I’d like to see you try to get past me.” Ash glowered at him. “Just give him a few hours to calm down and then I’ll let you go.”

“Something happens to him and I’ll level you,” Ash swore.

“Something happens to him and it’ll be on you.” Dex countered calmly. “I don’t know what happened with his mother but I know that it was a damned mistake bringing her up. He nearly hit you, you know that? The guy who gets between you and harm nearly leveled you. How angry do you think he was to be able to do that?”

Ash shook his head and went to collapse on his bed. He threw his arm over his eyes and sighed painfully. It was a lot. He had to be very angry to want to hit him. Although that was his specialty, wasn’t it? Making people angry at him. And either way, even if his brother hit him, he was right to bring her up. She was the cause for all of this, the catalyst in Bay’s life that changed everything.

* * *

Bay’s heart pounded in his chest, his blood pounded in his ears. How could he. How fucking could he bring up his mother. Ash knew, he  _knew_  not to bring her up to him. Ever. Bay didn’t want to remember finding her. He didn’t want to remember showing up on his father’s step or the beatings or cigarette burns or the belts or the inability to speak or running away or being on the street for two years. He didn’t want to remember any of it and by bringing up his mother, Ash made him remember it all.

Bay let out a shaky breath, his throat tightening, making it hard to remain calm in the middle of the fucking dormitory hallway. He passed Caius and Rhoe. He could have sworn he saw the same look reflected on the silver-haired boy’s face as his own.

Caius stopped and looked at him, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He just stalked past them, blatantly ignoring the two of them and went up the two flights of stairs to the roof door and went outside, ignoring the red ‘no entry’ sign posted on the door. He found Adrien leaning against the brick wall, smoking a cigarette, his long black hair covering his face.

  Bay’s entire body flinched at the sight of the cigarette and he swallowed thickly and leveled a calm look at Adrien. “Leave.”

Adrien curled a lock of hair behind his ear and looked him over with a cool, carefully blank face. Bay was expecting a retort, a ‘go to hell’ from the twenty-one-year-old Captain but whatever he saw on Bay’s face, he just crushed the cigarette beneath a black boot and went past him.

Bay made his way towards the ledge and sat down, looking down at the campus below. “You’re not going to jump, are you?” Adrien asked.

  Bay turned his head and looked up at the man. Adrien had paused at the door and was looking back at him, seeing far more than Bay was okay with. “Of course not,” Bay said, leaning back against the wall. “We have a game Saturday and you’ll lose without me.”

Adrien’s face didn’t so much as shift as he studied him. “I’ll see you at tomorrow, Bay. Be prepared to make up for the practice you missed.” Bay nodded and with that, Adrien left him alone on the roof.

  The door hadn’t even closed all the way before Bay’s face was in his hands, sobs breaking from his throat. He willed his heart to calm down in his chest and he willed himself to stop crying. He tipped his head back and looked up at the moon with bleary eyes. Why was he like this, what did he do to deserve any of this.

He looked down at the campus below, entertaining the idea of what would happen if he  _did_ jump. It could all be over and he wouldn’t have to deal with any of this anymore. But knowing his luck he wouldn’t even die, he’d just get himself paralyzed or end up back in the psych ward.

Either way, he couldn’t do that to his team or to his sister or Nesta or Ash. Ash. His fists curled up involuntary as he felt fresh tears slip down his face. He hadn’t spoken a word of his mother to that bastard but he had the uncanny ability to figure things out without much intel.

Bay pulled his wallet out to find Lysandra’s phonecard. He warred with the decision to call her or not. But he was slipping and he didn’t think he would be able to hold on by himself. Bay inhaled sharply and dialed her number before he changed his mind.

A man, probably Aedion, answered on the third ring and Bay immediately regretted calling her. “ _Hello?_ ”

Bay wiped harshly at his cheeks and exhaled slowly. “Can I speak to Lysandra?”

“ _Yeah, hang on._ ”

Bay tipped his head back and closed his eyes waiting for the therapist to get on the phone. A few seconds later a feminine voice answered. “ _Hello?_ ”

 “It’s Bay.”

He could imagine her stiffening at the phone, taking a calming breath and carefully choosing her words. “ _What’s wrong? Are you in danger of harming yourself or others?_ ”

“Yeah,” Bay’s voice cracked. “I think I am.”

* * *

Lysandra closed her eyes and made her way to the kitchen to grab her car keys and headed out the door, worry flaring in her chest. “Just talk to me, tell me what happened.” She got into her car and drove to the school. “I’m going to come sit with you, okay?”

“ _You don’t need to do that, Lysandra. I didn’t know who else to talk to._ ”

 She slid the keys into the ignition and pulled out of the drive, driving to the school went minutes away. “That’s okay,” she said reassuringly. “It was a boring night anyways. Where’s your sister? Or maybe your friend, Ash?”

A harsh laugh came from Bay. “ _Ash can rot in hell for all I’m concerned and I don’t want to see Aysel, she doesn’t do well when I’m upset_.”

Lysandra nodded. “What did Ash do?”

“ _I have had a crappy day and as soon as I get to my dorm, he started lecturing me and he brought_ ” - his voice caught- “ _He brought up my mom and basically told me I was dead inside_.”

She recalled reading about his mother’s death in his file. Caeli Perditus was found by her six-year-old son. She had been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder after coming home from the war. The woman should have never been on the front lines to begin with, mentally ill people are not permitted to be in the military and yet she was.

  Anyone finding someone in such a way was traumatic and for a six-year-old child to find her… she didn’t know how Bay managed to get up in the morning, even years later. She had been so worried herself, so afraid she would one day find Artemis the same way. The similarities were one of the reasons she had wanted to work with Bay. He had lived through her biggest fear.

“Do you agree with him?”

Bay stayed quiet for almost half a minute. “ _I don’t know. I know I’m drowning and I can barely breathe with everything that’s happening and I just want an out._ ”

She talked to him quietly as she drove to the campus. When she parked, she asked Bay where he was and set off for the male dormitory roof.

* * *

Adrien watched the girl shoot goals from the stands, his arms on the banister.  _Deanna_. That had been the name she gave him the day before. They had been meeting up for the past few days or rather, he had gone to the rink and found her there practicing on her own.

He liked the steel determination in her face, the color of her eyes and the attitude that told him she refused to bend to anyone’s bullshit. He wondered if that attitude and determination were learned behaviors or if they were just who she was.

 After a few minutes of watching her, Adrien pulled off his black boots and laced up his skates and tied his hair back and grabbed his goalie stick and went on the ice with her. She looked over her shoulder at him, her cognac eyes studying him, the oil stain on her cheek making them lighter. “Hello Adrien.”

He couldn’t help but grin at her. He had nearly begged her for her name and she reluctantly gave it to him. He was fairly certain he would have gotten on his knees for it. “Hello Deanna.”

She nodded to the empty goal. “Better do what you do best and get in the goal.”

He refrained from responding with ‘ _That’s not what I do best_ ’, he had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate the joke and it sounded too much like something that his brothers would say, the damned horny bastards.

Adrien got in the goal and positioned himself as she started shooting shots, just for him to deflect them. “What made you take up hockey?”

Deanna lined up a shot and shot it forward fast enough Adrien barely blocked it. She straightened and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Attitude problem,” she said after a while. “Dad forced me in when I gave the Cheer Captain a black eye. It was supposed to be a punishment but I grew to love it and have been in it ever since.”

He shook his head and smiled. “What did she do? Try to cheer you to death?”

She blew a strand of dark curly hair out of her eyes. “The blond bitch slept with my boyfriend.”

 Adrien just blinked.  _What_. Who in their ever-loving mind would cheat on Deanna? She was beautiful and strong and he would get on his knees and beg a kiss from her. Adrien pushed that thought away and said, “They’re both fucking idiots. I’ve never understood cheaters.” His bothers may both be sluts but neither had once cheated on the person they were with, neither had he. He may be an asshole but he wasn’t a tool. “If you’re willing to cheat then you shouldn’t be in a damned relationship.”        

She cocked her head and looked at him, her cognac eyes boreing into him. “Agreed.” She took a shot and he missed it and it got inside the net. Her brows furrowed. “Are you going easy on me?”

Adrien sketched a brow. “I said I wouldn’t.”

Something passed her face but was gone so fast he couldn’t make out what it was. “You’re not lying to me. Are you.” Adrien almost blinked at that, she almost sounded in awe.

He shook his head. “I don’t lie. I don’t see the point of it.”

She smiled, actually smiled. It was beautiful. “I like that. It’s refreshing.”

* * *

Bay made his way back to the dorm after sitting with Lysandra for nearly three house on the roof. She only agreed to go if he promised to come to her office the next day. His entire body was worn and he was so fucking tired. He hoped his brother and Dex had either gone to bed or was gone. But he suspected they were both in the dorm and awake waiting for him.

He took a breath and steeled his spine before he opened the door to find both Ash and Dex up waiting for him. His brother was immediately on his feet and coming towards him. Bay just held up and hand and Ash stopped mid-step. “Don’t bring her up again. Understand?”

 “What happened,” Ash asked quietly. “What happened with her that makes you freeze like you did? I just want to understand.” Dex glared at Ash. “Why won’t you talk about her. You never take off those dog tags and yet you won’t talk about her.”

“I found her,” Bay snapped, tears pricking behind his eyes. “I found her with her wrists slit and in a pile of her own blood on the damned bathroom floor in our house.” Both Ash’s and Dex’s eyes widened. “She had come back from the war someone else, someone that was in so much pain and could barely function. Those few months with her before she died were hell on earth and I kept hoping that she would come back with some time but then she killed herself. Do you understand now?  _Do you_?”

Ash’s face fell and he nodded a little. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that. I thought she died during the war.”

 “You think that because that’s what I told you.” Bay said flatly. Ash’s mouth opened. “And I didn’t lie. Because as far as I’m concerned, she died in action and the woman that came home wasn’t her. She just looked like her.” Ash visibly swallowed. “So if you bring her up again, I will punch you as hard as I can to get my point across.”

“I just wanted to help you,” Ash said quietly.

Bay sighed painfully. “I don’t want your help. You have your parents. Both of them. You will never understand what goes on in my head because you haven’t lived it and I never want you to understand something like that.” He hesitated. “I’m getting help. Okay? I’m seeing someone and everything. So don’t worry about me anymore.”

“I will always worry about you,” Ash said boldly. “Always. You’re my brother and no matter how much help you’re getting or how much you’re healing, I will always worry because I’ll always care.”

* * *

Adrien finished unlacing his skates as put his boots on, watching Deanna tie change her own skates. “Deanna.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “Will you go on a date with me? On Saturday night?”

She turned around to face him, folding her brown arms over her white tank top. “Why?”

Adrien bit his lip. “Because I like you and I can tell you like me, even beneath that ‘I don’t care about anything but hockey’ demeanor. Just one. And if you don’t have fun, I’ll back off and never ask again.”

She cocked her head and studied him. “Where would we be going?”

Adrien smiled. “It’s a surprise. But I promise you, you’ll love it.”

“Mhm,” Deanna said, skeptically. “Just once?”

“Just once,” Adrien agreed. “You don’t have fun and I’ll never ask again. Promise.”

“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “I’ll go on a date with you. Do I need to dress up?”

Adrien distantly wondered what the girl would look in a dress and with her hair down. She would be beautiful, but he suspected that he would love her cargo pants and tee-shirts more. He shook his head. “Nope. Although you might want to bring a jacket. It might get cold.”

“Good, I hate heels.”

He grinned and walked with her to his car and turned to face her. The moon bled on her face. “Do you want a ride back to the dorms?”

She shook her head. “No. I like walking home.”

Adrien hesitated, he didn’t want her to be walking alone at night where God knew how many unsavory people was out at night. “Then I’ll walk with you.”

She arched a brow. “You’d walk twenty-five minutes back to the school when your car is right here?”

“Yup. I can catch a ride with Dex in the morning.”

She narrowed her eyes and readjusted her duffle on her shoulder. “Are you trying to get laid?”

Adrien’s brows shot up. “No. I just don’t like the idea of you walking home alone in the dark. I’d never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you and I could have prevented it.”

She blinked surprise. “Okay. Lets go.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhoe shrugged and sat the food on the counter and went to tie the straps. He’d tell his mother to put her phone away, but he suspected it wouldn’t do any good, so he just pretended she wasn’t there as he and Caius washed their hands.
> 
> So, what are we making? Caius signed.
> 
> Chicken, duh.
> 
> Do we really have to? Caius frowned. I’m a vegetarian.
> 
> He could not have read that right. How could someone go without eating meat? If he had to go too long without it, he’d start smelling it everywhere. He nearly collapsed as he gaped at his roommate with wide eyes. Et tu Brute, Rhoe signed. You think you know someone and they go and do this! This is worse than you mixing up Star Wars and Star Trek!

Dex pulled his duffle from off his shoulders and threw it in the back of his pickup as he looked at Adrien over the hood. “So let me get this straight, you’ve been getting rides from me every day for the past week so you can walk her home and you haven’t slept with her?”

Adrien shook his head and got into the passenger side of the vehicle. “You sound like my brothers. You all give a bad rep to men, you know that?”

Dex snorted and climbed into the driver’s seat. With a click he fastened his seatbelt and pulled out of the parking lot, grinning over at him. “Your hand has got to get boring, Ade. You’ve been meeting up with each other for nearly two weeks to ‘practice’ hockey for hours. Have you at  _least_ kissed her?”

Adrien slid him an unamused look as he lit the cigarette between his teeth. “Nope.”

He shook his head and turned the corner. “You’re hopeless.”

The captain just shrugged fluidly, pulling his hair back into a ponytail, the end of his cigarette burning bright. “I just want to do it right.”

Dex snorted and eyed his cigarette. “You drop that and it ruin my seats I’m going to kick your fucking ass.”

Adrien took the cigarette from his mouth and flipped him off. “Fuck off. I’m not going to ruin anything. Except maybe my lungs.”

“Where did you even pick up that habit anyways? I didn’t take you for a smoker.” Not that he had much room to talk, considering he smoked as well.

Adrien’s face turned completely neutral, smoothed out and emotionless. “jail.”

Dex nearly choked. “ _What?_ ”

Of all the things to come out of his mouth, that wasn’t something he expected.

Adrien looked at him, no, he looked  _through_  him, his eyes sheets of ice. “I was in the state penitentiary for summer break for breaking my grandfather’s arm. I was close enough to eighteen and since he was a priest, I surpassed juvie and got put in with the adults. Cigarettes helped with the nerves and it was currency.”

“Fuck,” he breathed, letting the words sink in. He had caught it sometimes when looking at Adrien, the pure ice in his eyes, the lack of emotion in his face. Maybe that scar on his face was from his time behind bars. “Why the hell did you break his arm?”

Adrien looked through the windshield and was silent for nearly a whole minute before, “He smashed my little brother’s hand for being gay, so I broke his arm for being a hypocritical holier-than-thou prick.”

“Good,” Dex said, pulling into the parking lot. “What happened to him?” He asked, shifting his friend a look. It was probably a bad idea to ask, but it came out anyway.

  Adrien gave him a hollow, humorless laugh as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “Restraining order and a firm warning. It would seem the Man upstairs was on his side.”

* * *

Adrien remembered those weeks. They said it was a low-security prison and that the worst of the offenders were somewhere else. And yet, the things that had almost,  _almost_ , happened to him, had come from the supposedly less threatening prisoners. Lucky for him, Matias had showed up before it could happen. Lucky for him, the biggest and baddest of them all, took pity on him.

He pushed that thought as far away as possible. He didn’t regret it, what he did to Keir. His little brother had been fourteen and had done nothing wrong. They even had two mothers. Did it really matter to God, who someone was attracted to? If it were  _really_ against God’s plan, there wouldn’t be gay people, there wouldn’t be war or pain or ruin. It was just bigoted people who decided it was their job to interpret God’s word.

Adrien got out of the truck and slammed the door closed. The heat seeped into his tattooed skin and yet he almost felt cold. He grabbed his duffle bag and shoved his hands into his pockets after crushing the cigarette beneath a boot.

He changed the topic, getting as far away from those months as he could. “How’s your tutoring going? You and Sammi getting somewhere or are you still arguing?”

Dex snorted and grabbed his bag. “Yeah, we’re still arguing but I managed to get an B+ on the test so, I guess we made some progress after all. She’s pretty fun outside of the studying. After seeing her at the party, I didn’t think she was as serious as she is. Fuck, I was  _wrong_.”

  Adrien snorted. “You’re the guy. Of course you were wrong.”

  Dex ran a lock of midnight black hair behind his ear as he scowled. “Shut up. At least I don’t need tutors for nearly all my fucking classes.”

Adrien recoiled inward at that offhanded comment. He knew Dex didn’t mean anything by it. In fact he highly doubted Dex knew he was dyslexic. Still hit a nerve though.

Both he and Dex ignored the looks of interest from the bypassing girls as they walked into the hockey arena where a single form was on the ice, shooting shot after shot into the empty net. At first, Adrien thought it was Deanna, but after a second look, it was Bay and he was shooting impossibly fast. Almost angry. No. It  _was_ angry. It was furious.

That’s right. Bay had community service after practice. Poor bastard. “You want to go tell him he has to get ready for practice?” Adrien whispered.

 “You insane?” Dex whispered back, tightening the strap on his shoulder. “I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot-pole. You’re the Captain.  _You_  do it.”

“Come on. You got like fifteen inches on him.”

Dex slid his black eyes to him. “He can still kneecap me with that fucking hockey stick and then you’d be down your best two players with both of us in prison.”

“Fair enough,” Adrien said and then let out a sharp whistle. “Hey! Change into gear. Practice starts in twenty!”

Bay shot forward sharply then pulled his headphones out slowly and without so much as a look to either of them, Bay made his way to the locker rooms. Lovely, it was going to be one of  _those_  days. He looked at Dex with raised brows. The defensemen said, “Don’t look at me man, he’s broodier than even you.”

  He sighed through his nose and straightened the duffle bag at his shoulder as he led the way back to the changing room.

Adrien opened the door just in time to see Bay pull his shirt over his head, showing his tense, sculpted back. He felt himself go incredibly still when he saw the expansion of defensemen’s back. Multiple dark scars carved Bay’s golden skin: Some thin and short and others wide and long and disappearing below the waistline of his dark jeans. Who the  _fuck_ -

His hand went to the three-inch scar on his face. He swallowed down the anger as he remembered the fights, the lies, the one person he told and how he didn’t believe him. No.  _No._  He would not think about Addison. Not here. Not now. Not  _ever._

He pushed her and Bay’s scars out of his head and stalked over to his own locker and changed into practice gear. They had a game today and he would not- would  _not-_ get distracted by his ex.

* * *

Rhoe opened his eyes to see Caius face first in the mattress. He debated waking him up, to tell him to go to his  _own_ bed, but the thought evaporated when Caius turned his head and looked up at him with bleary violet eyes.

 _You fell asleep in my bed,_ Rhoe signed.  _Again._

A sleepy smile spread on Caius’s golden face. “Sorry.” Rhoe snorted and Caius sat up and ran his broad hand through his midnight black hair. “We should just move our beds together. It’d be easier to talk. Has anyone ever told you you’re a bed hog? I’m pretty sure I had a pillow when I fell asleep.”

Actually yes. Yes he had been told that. By Ryan. But before he could respond, Caius’s head whipped towards the door and he flashed him a smile before getting up to answer. Rhoe’s eyes went to the huge tattoo that covered the majority of Caius’s upper back: A mountain range with three stars above it, just at the base of his neck. It was beautiful.

Caius answered the door only for it to be Lyria. Rhoe collapsed back onto his bed with his hands on his face as he tried smothering himself. Maybe if he pretended she wasn’t there she’d  _leave him alone_.

 But that thought was immediately discarded at the near bounce of the bed and shaking of his shoulders. Rhoe squeezed his eyes and signed:  _Go away bad dream. You aren’t wanted here._

The air got knocked out of his stomach as someone pounced on him. He opened his eyes to see his sister four inches from his face with a wide, wide smile on her lips. “Wake up! You promised you’d go with me to Mom and Dad’s.”

He pushed her off him and shot her a savage glare, drawing breath back into his lungs.  _I did no such thing._

“Yes you did.”

_No I didn’t._

“Please!” Lyria nearly begged. “I’ll take you to that restaurant you like. What’s it ca- Outback Steakhouse!”

Rhoe pointed at her.  _Don’t you try to use my love of meat to talk me into going. It’s petty and beneath a Galathynius._

Lyria’s eyes glittered and she signed,  _Fine. If you don’t go I’ll tell Caius what mom calls you._

Caius looked intently between the two of them, his violet eyes glittering in amusement as he smiled at them.

Rhoe gasped.  _You wouldn’t. I’m your baby brother. We have a_ bond.

His older sister gave him a smile that said she very much would if it meant getting her way. He debated on calling out her bluff but he really,  _really_ did not want Caius to know that his mother called him ‘Bambi.’

 _Why do I have to go?_  Rhoe demanded.  _Don’t you have a live-in boyfriend who can do all these domestic terrors with you._

* * *

Caius couldn’t help but look between Lyria and Rhoe in deep amusement and fascination. His smile widened at Lyria rolling over onto her back as she sighed deep and painfully. “I do but he’s working at the hospital. And Sam is off doing Sam-things, leaving little ole you.”

Rhoe pulled his dark green pillow over his face and screamed into it. Caius laughed and pulled the pillow away from his roommate and said, “What if I went with you? I’m free.”

Rhoe sat up on his elbows and squinted up at him, his gaze thick with suspicion. All Caius could give him was an innocent look. Rhoe’s lips quirked to the side in a half grin and he signed,  _Fine. But I’m still getting steak out of this._

  Lyria squealed in delight and leaned over to press a kiss to Caius’s cheek. He barely kept the grimace off his face as he rubbed his cheek on his bare shoulder. “Still gay but thanks for the kiss, I guess.”

Lyria tipped her head back and laughed. “You’re welcome. But seriously, thank you. Getting Rhoe to go home is like pulling teeth.”

  _I may not be able to hear you, but I know when I’m being talked about_ , Rhoe signed, glaring at his sister.  _I go home._

Lyria rolled her eyes and got to her feet and with a flip of her hair, Lyria turned to her brother and signed,  _I’ll see you in thirty minutes. I’m driving._

Rhoe’s glare could melt the polar ice cap. What he would give to be able to look inside the silver haired boy’s head. Rhoe flicked his turquoise gold-rimmed eyes to him and he searched Caius’s face. It felt a little like being stripped bare.

 _You know you don’t have to go with me_ , Rhoe signed.  _I’m sure you have better things planned for your Saturday other than going to your roommate’s Mother’s house._

Caius frowned and sat on the edge of Rhoe’s bed, right next to him. He nudged his shoulder against his and said, “I want to go. I like your mom. Her sass could make even my father’s look weak. And he’s the  _mayor_.” Rhoe blinked up at him and Caius hesitated. “Unless you don’t want me to go.”

  His roommate’s eyes searched his face, looking for a lie that he knew wasn’t there. It had Caius thinking that this boy hadn’t had many friends who would go with him to his house. Maybe they were intimidated by Aelin, or maybe they were just  _stupid_ and didn’t realize how great Rhoe and his family was.

  _You_ want  _to go?_ Rhoe signed. Caius’s lips turned up into a smile and he nodded. A small smile crept up on Rhoe’s lips, a dimple appearing on the right.  _Okay. Although you should probably put on a shirt. I don’t want my mom having a heart attack._

  Caius looked down at his bare golden chest and loose black and silver pajama bottoms and laughed. He highly doubted Aelin Galathynius would have a heart attack over a bare chest, though he was touched Rhoe thought it would grant one.

He flicked Rhoe’s nose and Rhoe snapped his teeth at him.  _Chop chop_ , Rhoe signed, his eyes glittering.  _Lyria can be an impatient bitch when she wants to be, and I want my steak. So, vamoose._

Caius snorted and went to get dressed while his roommate did the same. He chose a silk dark purple shirt with black buttons and a pair of black jeans and a pair of sneakers. He debated on seeing what Rhoe would think about vegans, but he decided to wait to see that hilarity for another day.

He looked over his shoulder to see Rhoe pulling on a graphic tee shirt with black and silver phoenix on the front, it’s shadowy flames reaching around to the back. Caius caught a flash of the black and white buck tattoo on Rhoe’s side. It was all hard, straight geometric lines and was fucking amazing.

* * *

Biela rolled her shoulders as she stalked out of the ballet studio. She could barely calm her nerves as she unraveled the bun from her hair. Tonight would be the recital and tonight Dacia would come see her dance.

  But so would her parents and brother. And while Caius supported her and Dacia completely, her parents were another matter.

Pushing the growing dread in her veins away, Biela carded her fingers through her hair and shook it loose around her shoulders. Her temper began to rise as she felt the attention of a few of the male bystanders.

She would have ignored it. She would have turned a blind eye to the whole thing except one of them let out a wolf whistle that stopped her dead in her tracks. She slowly turned around and looked over each man indulgently.

A smile slowly spread on her lips as she looked between the three of them. “While I agree that I am beautiful,” she purred, their smiles widened, “I wear heels bigger than your dicks. Besides, I don’t fuck men. You boys just take too long.”

  Each of their faces twisted in hate and the one on the left hissed, “Rich Bitch.”

She gave them a low laugh and she whirled back around and stalked back down the street. She flicked the three testosterone fueled idiots a wave and slipped her sunglasses on. Well how about that: She felt better.

* * *

Ciel threw his arms over the back of the chair as he watched Nadia sink into the couch next to Connie. The golden-haired girl had barely said five words to him in the three times he had met her. She was naturally quiet, the kind of girl that would relish being invisible in a crowd.

He didn’t miss the protective stance Nadia had used when introducing the two of them. He could tell she liked her. Though Nadia had a bad habit of wanting to shield the quiet ones. With the ‘don’t fuck with me’ demeanor she had about her, it was easy.

Ciel crossed his feet over the coffee table and flicked his eyes to Connie. He smiled at the girl running her hair behind her ear as she delved deeper into her book. He debated asking her what she was reading that had her so engrossed in her book that she had checked out of the conversation but decided against it when Nadia threw a pencil at him, “Stop staring at my roommate. She’s not interested.”

Ciel blinked and stared at her wide-eyed and pressed his hand to his chest. “ _Excuse_ me? What makes you think I’m interested in sweet Connie? All I was doing was looking at her.” Connie’s cheeks reddened.

Nadia rose a dark groomed brow, her golden-brown eyes glinting. “Besides being blonde and having a heartbeat? You forget, I’ve known you since we were babies.”

Connie hid her smile with the palm of her hand as she flipped the page of her book. “I’m sure Ciel has tastes outside of blondes, Nadia. Maybe he has a thing for mirrors with how much he loves himself.”

Ciel stared at her and Connie’s mouth snapped shut and her shoulders tensed. But as soon as he and Nadia burst out laughing, the tension unraveled. Nadia slung her arm over Connie’s shoulders, “You are wonderful, you know that?”

Connie smiled at her tentatively. “So I’ve been told.”

 Ciel snorted. “I’m starting to see you have more in common with Samaentha than her looks. You both got a bit of a bite, hmm?”

Connie dipped her head, almost hiding behind her hair, as Nadia pulled her closer. “Don’t tease her,” She glared at him. “You have no room to talk. Hasn’t your mouth gotten you in trouble more than once with your mother?”

He glared at her and Nadia looked down at Connie. “You should have seen last Christmas. Ciel got himself grounded for the entire break for arguing with his mother. You do  _not_ argue with Manon Blackbeak and get away with it. Poor Ciel was pouting at home while I got to go skiing. The poor boy.”

Connie smiled at him, her obsidian eyes warm and pitying. “Sounds like Sammi. She did pretty much the same thing and got grounded from going to one of the parties.” She pulled her legs up to her chest. “Though that didn’t stop her from sneaking out and going anyways. I got in trouble for helping cover for her.”

Ciel smiled. “How did she make it up to you?”

Connie rested her head on Nadia’s shoulder. “She went with me to the planetarium. There was an exhibit and a lecture on black holes. She sat with me for the three and a half hours and managed to not fall asleep.”

He was deeply amused at the look of shock on Nadia’s face when Connie snuggled deeper into her. And his amusement only grew when she smiled down at her. “Good. I’m glad she stayed awake.”

  “Me too,” Connie said, looking up at her. “She gets bored really easily and can’t sit still. Way too much stamina.”

  “Some would argue that’s not a bad thing,” Ciel pointed out, barely keeping the smirk off his face. Nadia groaned and face palmed while Connie snorted. “What!” Ciel exclaimed. “Look me in the eye and tell me I’m wrong.”

Nadia tipped her head back and sighed painfully. “You were dropped on your head as an infant, weren’t you? It would explain  _so much._ ”

Connie smothered her laugh with the back of her hand and Ciel folded his arms and sunk deeper into the chair. “You know,” He sulked, “Sam wouldn’t treat me like this. He  _likes_ me.”

“Awe,” Nadia said, a teasing smile spreading on her lips. “Did I hurt your feelings?”

“Yes,” he pouted. “Kiss me and make it feel better?”

  Nadia tipped her head back and burst out laughing. “Not even if we were the last people on the face of this Earth, Ciel Gavin Havilliard. I’d sooner kiss a frog.” Connie giggled.

  “Okay, now that’s just rude,” Ciel grinned. “You’d be lucky if you’d ever get a kiss from me.”

“Like I’d want one,” Nadia retorted, her eyes crinkling. “You’re a fucking  _guy_. You don’t have the right equipment. The day you magically become a girl, then we’ll see.”

His and Nadia’s back and forth was one of the only things that made going to school bearable. He was well aware Nadia preferred girls but that didn’t stop him from poking fun at her. She knew about his feelings for Sam and gave him hell for it. “You don’t know what you’re missing, babe.”

Nadia put her feet up on the table and gave him a half lazy grin. “I think I’ll live, sweetheart. Besides,” her smile widened. “I thought you were into Sam nowadays. Aren’t you with him nearly every night? Don’t tell me your eye is already straying. I was planning your summer wedding.”

Ciel barely managed to keep the blush off his face as Connie looked between them with deep fascination, her dark gold flecked eyes glittering. “Shut up, Westfall.”

 Nadia’s smile turned smug and she said, “I win.”

* * *

Two hours later, Caius leaned forward in his seat as the large house came into view. His mouth nearly dropped at the sheer  _size_ of the thing. And he thought  _his_ house was big. No, it made it seem no larger than a townhouse in the city. “ _This_ is your house? Your dad’s a teacher!”

 Lyria laughed as she pulled up into the driveway. “Old money, my friend. The Galathynius’ are basically royalty. Plus, it helps when your mom is a cut-throat lawyer. Nearly impossible arguing with her.”

  He let out a low whistle. “Jesus.”

 They got out of the car and made their way across the expansion to the front yard. Rhoe stopped dead in his tracks when a dog jot across the yard in a dead run, straight for him. Rhoe broke out into a grin and knelt. Though he nearly fell onto his back from the dog jumping on him.

“That’s Fleetfoot,” Lyria said, smiling down at her brother and the enormous dog. “She’s old as hell but has the soul of a puppy. One of Mom’s friends gave her to her once upon a time. She’s been in our family ever since.”

Caius smiled and strolled up to the dog that was licking Rhoe’s face. He ran a hand down Fleetfoot’s back. “She’s beautiful.”

Rhoe smiled up at him and held out a hand. Caius helped the boy stand and they made the rest of the way up to the house. As soon as they were inside, Lyria yelled, “Mom! We’re here!”

“ _Take your shoes off_!” a feminine voice yelled from somewhere in the house. “ _Don’t you dare track in mud_ ,  _the maid doesn’t come until Wednesday._ ”

* * *

Rhoe took his shoes off and walked through his house. There were so many memories tied to this place, many of him and his family, many of him and Ryan. He could barely keep the bitter sweetness of nostalgia out of his heart.

He ran his hand through his hair as he stalked up the stairs to his bedroom. It was just the way he left it: slightly disorganized but otherwise spotless. His coding books slightly askew on his desk, next to his computer and the stack of sci-fi books on his night stand.

But then his eyes went to his made bed, to the black and silver bedding. His throat tightened as a memory slammed into him:

* * *

_Rhoe locked his door and whirled around to push Ryan onto his bed. He smiled down at the look of complete shock on the boy’s face as he climbed upon him and straddled his sides. Ryan gave him a near goofy grin and Rhoe dipped his head down and pressed a hard kiss to the boy’s lips._

_Ryan pressed a hand to Rhoe’s sternum and pushed him apart from his lips. Rhoe looked down at him, blushing. Maybe he had been too forward but then Ryan signed,_ Are you really okay with this?

 _Rhoe blinked and then sat up the rest of the way and signed,_ If I weren’t, do you really think I’d be on top of you kissing you?

 _Ryan’s cheeks reddened._ Well in that case-

_Ryan flipped them over and climbed on top of him. Rhoe smiled up at him as Ryan pulled off his shirt and leaned down to press kisses to his lips and down his jaw. Rhoe closed his eyes as Ryan took him apart with his lips and his hands going up Rhoe’s shirt._

_He could get used to the feeling of Ryan on top of him, of Ryan under him. His heart and head fuzzied around the corners as he let Ryan pull his shirt the rest of the way off. His heart leapt in his throat at the look Ryan was giving him, at the brightness of his green eyes._ I love you, Rhoe Galathynius. To whatever end.

_Rhoe was fairly certain his brain short circuited as he wrapped his fingers around the back of Ryan’s neck and yanked him down into a crushing kiss. Ryan opened for him and Rhoe slipped his tongue in his mouth._

_He tasted like the Spearmint gum he always chewed. He felt like he was falling. He was falling and falling and falling and there was no ground in sight. And for someone afraid of heights, it was a terrifying thing._

* * *

 A hand on his shoulder tore him away from the memory and Rhoe blinked rapidly, trying to get his heart to slow down. It took him a bit to recognize the black haired, violet eyed boy in front of him. Rhoe forced a smile on his face at the look of worry on Caius’s golden face. “You okay?”

Rhoe nodded and walked the rest of the way into his room. There had been a reason he didn’t want to come home. There weren’t constant reminders of the boy he was in love with at school. His heart didn’t  _ache,_  and he didn’t feel like he wanted to die.

The feeling of Caius’s eyes on his back had his heart picking up in his chest. So he let out a steady breath and sat on the edge of his desk, looking at his roommate slowly coming up to him. Caius looked down at him, his violet eyes searching his face.

Caius was close enough Rhoe could see his dark long lashes. Neither of them said a word for nearly half a minute and just when Rhoe began to think Caius would ask him what was wrong, Caius picked up one of the computer coding books from atop his desk and thumb through it.

“Fuck, Rhoe,” Caius said. “I don’t understand any of this. It might as well be Klingon. Fucking Star Wars level difficulty.”

Rhoe held up a hand.  _Tell me you did not just call Klingon something from Star Wars. It’s Star Trek, you animal. Get it straight._

Caius lifted a groomed brow, his eyes crinkling. “Now why would I ever want something straight, Prince? As far as I’m concerned everything is gay.”

Rhoe burst out laughing and Caius gave him a dazzling smile.  _I hope you know I’m now going to make you sit and watch through all of Star Trek and Star Wars movies. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be able to memorize both beginning sequences._

Caius gave him s sweeping bow. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Rhoe smiled at him and Caius’s head whipped to the door. Rhoe looked behind him to see his mother standing in the doorway with a smile on her face and her gold rimmed turquoise eyes bright.  _Oh God_ , Rhoe signed.  _Please tell me you aren’t going to cry. I’m not that much of a loser._

His mother stalked into the room and said, “Hush,” as she pulled him into a crushing hug. She planted a kiss on his cheek- which he immediately wiped off- and then whirled and gave Caius a hug. Rhoe snorted at the bewildered look on Caius’s face. “Come on, I made you guys something to eat.”

  “Great,” Caius grinned. “I’m starved.”

 _No, Mother_ , Rhoe signed.  _I will not let you kill my roommate with your cooking. I just got him._

  His mother stuck her tongue out at him and Caius snorted. “I’m sure it’s not  _that_ bad, Prince.” Rhoe groaned internally at the surprised look on his mother’s face. “My mother isn’t that great of a cook either and her cooking is still somewhat edible.” His mother gave him a smug smile.

  _Don’t say I didn’t warn you_ , Rhoe signed, hopping off the desk.  _I’m not going to be the one to tell your scary sister that you died at my house because you didn’t take me seriously._

  Caius scoffed as they walked down to the kitchen. Caius took a helping of the chocolate hazel nut cake and Rhoe merely rested his chin on the palm of his hand and watched his roommate take a bite of cake.

Caius started coughing and Rhoe burst out laughing and signed,  _I told you so. Next time you should listen to me. I don’t have straight A’s for nothing, you know. How else do you think I survived the last eighteen years in this house?_

His mother scoffed and smacked his shoulder and signed,  _Stop it, Bambi. I gave you life and I can take it away._

_Mom!_

 Lyria came into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water and sat at the counter with them. “What are we talking about?” She cast an alarmed look at Caius coughing and turning blue, “Oh no, are you okay?!” She whipped her head to their mother, “Mom! How many times have we told you, stop feeding our friends, its not like Rhoe has that many to spare!”

   Rhoe just flipped her off.

  Caius held up a hand. “Did your mom just call you ‘Bambi’?”

Rhoe dropped his forehead against the countertop. Repeatedly. Maybe he’d break his brain and get lucky.  _If I say ‘no’ will you forget that horrid nickname?_

Caius slung his arm over Rhoe’s shoulder. “Not a chance.” He poked him in the side. “You got a tattoo of your nickname, that’s so adorable.”

Rhoe shot his mother a death glare, refusing to confirm or deny his roommate’s words.  _This is your fault._

  She merely smiled. “Oh hush. It’s a fine nickname.” She flicked her eyes to Caius. “He used to watch  _Bambi_ all the time when he was little. Every rutting  _day_. You should have seen him when Bambi’s mom died. He told me I wasn’t allowed to ever die. He said he’d cry for a  _whole_  week.”

  Rhoe’s face burned and he refrained from going to hide in his room, especially with the way Caius was looking at him.  _Is it International Pick On Rhoe Day? What the hell?_

 Caius bumped his shoulder against his and signed,  _How about I cook something for you guys, I’m actually a decent cook. Zero chance of food poisoning._

“Go for it,” his mother said. “There’s plenty of food.” Caius smiled at her.

“I already ate,” Lyria stated, getting up from her seat. “But this way I’ll save a couple bucks. Since my brother is a human garbage disposal.”

Rhoe pointed at her,  _You still owe me Outback Steakhouse, Lyria Annora Galathynius. You’re not getting out of this so easily you manipulative shrew._ His sister rolled her eyes and he looked at Caius and signed,  _I’ll help. Unlike my mother and siblings, I_ can  _cook_.

“Genius, cook, and lover of meat,” Caius grinned. “If I didn’t know you, I’d say you weren’t real. People like you aren’t supposed to be real, Prince.”

Blush rose up on Rhoe’s cheeks and he ignored the glittering eyes of his mother as he turned around to go see what food there was in the house. He decided on fried chicken because fuck eating healthy.

He came back with the ingredients in time to see Caius in an apron and rolling up his sleeves. His roommate looked at him beneath his black hair and gave him one of his smiles and signed,  _Can you tie me?_

Rhoe shrugged and sat the food on the counter and went to tie the straps. He’d tell his mother to put her phone  _away,_ but he suspected it wouldn’t do any good, so he just pretended she wasn’t there as he and Caius washed their hands.

  _So, what are we making?_  Caius signed.

 _Chicken, duh_.

 _Do we really have to?_ Caius frowned.  _I’m a vegetarian_.

He could not have read that right. How could someone go without eating meat? If he had to go too long without it, he’d start smelling it everywhere. He nearly collapsed as he gaped at his roommate with wide eyes.  _Et tu Brute,_ Rhoe signed. _You think you know someone and they go and do_ this!  _This is worse than you mixing up Star Wars and Star Trek!_

Caius patted Rhoe’s cheek, his eyes crinkling. “You’re so fun, Prince. No, I’m not a vegetarian. I just needed to see the look on your face.”

His mouth dropped, and he flicked a handful of flour in Caius’s handsome face. Rhoe laughed at his roommate gaping at him, his violet eyes turning a dark shade of indigo thanks to the white splattered across his golden skin. “I cannot believe you just threw-” Caius wiped the flour from his face, “-flour in my face,” he said, flicking it right back in Rhoe’s face. “You know this means war.”

* * *

Aelin watched the full-on ingredient fight break out from behind her phone. She was nearly in tears as she watched her son laughing and making a complete mess of her kitchen. It was worth it, one hundred percent worth it for the look on her son’s face.

She felt someone come up behind her and press a kiss to her shoulder. She looked to see her husband looking at the boys with glittering, knowing eyes, a soft smile spreading on his lips. “They seem to be getting along well.”

That seemed to be an understatement. She had never seen Rhoe get attached to someone so fast. Not even Ryan. Her heart felt as if it were going to encompass the entirety of her chest as she watched Rhoe tip his head back and laugh at Caius saying, “You’re buying me a new shirt, Prince. And it better be a fancy one.”

Her son merely smiled at him with glittering bright gold-rimmed turquoise eyes that could reduce the world to ash.

* * *

Dacia looked up from her book just in time to see her girlfriend walk through the door. She smiled at Biela pulling her sunglasses from her face and sliding them atop her head and look at her while slipping off her shoes. She didn’t miss the anxiety in her glacial eyes, but it disappeared as she met her gaze.

Setting her book down, Dacia got up from the couch and went up to her, looking her over. Something was bothering her, and it didn’t take much to figure out what it was. “It’ll all work out,” Dacia said, cupping her face. “I promise.”

Biela looked up at her solemnly, her eyes searching her face. It always felt a little like being stripped bare, piece by piece. She could rip someone to pieces with a handful of words and walk away unscathed. There was only a handful of people who could see the roses behind the thorns.

Biela got up to her toes and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Thank you.”

She slid her arms around Biela’s waist and pressed their foreheads together, smiling down at her. “Nothing anyone says is going to get between us, okay? I’m yours.”

A small smile spread on Biela’s lips and she reached to hook her arms around Dacia’s neck. “And I’m yours.”

A wince feathered across Biela’s face and Dacia looked down at the dancer’s swollen feet, at the blisters and bruises. “Come on, let’s soak your feet. You should rest those before you overdo it.” She poked Biela’s side. “Like you  _always_ do.”

Biela wrinkled her nose, lighting up her blue-grey eyes, and it was honestly one of the greatest things Dacia had ever seen. It made her seem warm. “Fine,” she said primly. “But  _you_ are joining me.”

Dacia rose a brow and pulled her backwards towards the bathroom. “I didn’t have any other intention. Like I’d let the prettiest girl alive bathe  _alone._ I may be blonde but I’m not that blonde, love.”

 A smirk formed on those lovely lips. “No, you certainly are not.”

A laugh bubbled from Dacia and she let go of Biela’s hands to run the water. The faucets ran and Dacia looked over her shoulder to see Biela peeling off her tank top and bra, revealing the swell of her breasts.

 Biela cut Dacia a look, her eyes glittering in amusement, “Well? Get naked, Darling. You are not getting in that tub clothed.”

It took Dacia a moment to realize she was staring at the woman. Warmth spread against her cheeks and she tore her eyes away and did as instructed, well aware of Biela’s own eyes not on her body.

It was refreshing. She had eyes on her undressing nearly every night, had hands on her nearly every night and it always left her feeling gross. But Biela’s hands were something entirely different, her eyes were something entirely different.

They both slipped in the water- Biela across from her- and Dacia massaged Biela’s battered feet. Something like complete bliss crossed Biela’s unnervingly perfect face as she groaned and tipped her head back. “ _God,_  I can’t wait for these performances to be over. Morrigan is running me ragged.”

  “Yes, but you’d never give up your part.”

Biela looked at her with bright eyes. “Are you kidding? I nearly sold my soul to get the part of Odette and Odile. I’d kill to keep it. That is one ofthe roles of a  _lifetime_. It has taken me  _months_ to get the choreography down, Cia. And  _portraying_  the two different roles- Odette is perfection, the White Swan and Odile- emotion. The Black Swan.”

Dacia smiled. She loved it when Biela went on tangents about her dancing. The way it lit up her eyes, the pure pride and complete confidence in her ability as a performer.

“I have spent too much time having breakdowns and sore muscles and  _feet_  to  _ever_ give my part to anyone else,” Biela declared. “Lyria’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands before I give it up.”

* * *

Four hours later, Nate walked through the throng of people, trying to get to his seat. It was a primal spot, perfect for giving him full view of the ice and all the players. He blocked out the sounds of the crowd and found his silver haired mother- Leta- waiting for him.

He handed her her drink and took his seat. He was trying to figure out why he came, why he let his mothers’ guilt him into coming. IT wasn’t like he hadn’t seen his brother’s games a million times  _before_.

But a few well-placed batted eyes and pouts, he had reluctantly caved and now here he was, in the middle of a packed stadium on his Saturday night instead of out or in the dark room. He had plenty of images that still needed developed.

“Thank you, Pumpkin.”

He sighed internally at the nickname and kissed her cheek as he settled in his seat. “You’re welcome,” he said, looking down at the ice. He shot forward as he eyed the familiar head of ash gold hair. “He’s a  _hockey player_.”

Surprise filled him and he didn’t even know why. He had sensed Aysel’s brother was an athlete and here he was in hockey gear and out on the ice with his brother. His _brother._  Oh, he and Adrien were going to have words on his disregard for not telling him there was a hot guy on his team.

“Well, yes,” his mother said, eyes crinkling. “We’re at a hockey game.”

  He ignored her and leaned closer to get a better look. The man put his helmet on and he and the rest of the team huddled together on the ice. Nate wasn’t sure if he was actually in the seat as the game started.

  Nate watched the players fight over the puck. The opposing team gained control of the puck and but it didn’t take much for one of the Dreamers to steal the puck and shoot down the ice. The dreamer passed the puck off and the other player cut it across the ice and into the goal. Earning the Maas Dreamers the first point of the season.

  An uproar from the crowd spilled into the airspace and Nate was glad Seth wasn’t there. It was so loud and it was only the first point.

  The puck went back and forth across the ice, both teams aiming for the goal. Nate jot up at Aysel’s brother stopping a puck from getting anywhere near Adrien and sending it to the other far taller defensemen who shot the puck down the ice.

  Nate nearly had a heart attack several times throughout the game as players tried and failed getting past Aysel’s brother and the other hulking defensemen. A single goal managed to get past Adrien throughout the whole game, making the score 7 to 1 with the Dreamers winning. The referee called game, and everyone began cheering as the players huddled together, cheering as well.

Though Aysel’s brother stood off to the side as his chest heaved and he pulled his helmet off, revealing his ash gold hair sticking to his forehead. He scanned the crowd with a calm, almost bored look on his face and landed his eyes on him.

The man’s lips twitched up and for a moment, Nate thought he might be smiling. With each time he had seen Aysel’s brother, he never saw a smile. But of course, nearly every time he had seen him, it had been early in the morning and while he, himself, was generally a morning person, his brothers had shown him most very much were not.

But the thought disappeared when the man turned back to his team.

Nate barely registered his mother getting up beside him and pull him with the rest of the crowd. They went to wait for his brother to get out of the changing room. They found Aysel waiting outside the room with bright blue hair twisted up on top of her head, revealing the trailing of earrings down her ears.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Nate strolled up to her and leaned against the wall, giving her a lazy grin. “Hello Aysel.”

The girl’s thoughtful blue-grey gaze searched Nate’s face, everywhere but his eyes as her lips twitched up. “Hello Nathaniel. Are you here to see my brother too?”

If only.

He shook his head as his mother came up next to them, her grey eyes studying Aysel intently. Her lips curled up into a warm smile at Aysel twisting the silver ring on her hand. “Hi. I’m Leta, Nate’s mom.”

Aysel flicked her eyes to his mother, the smile instantly falling away as she looked between him and his mother. “Hi.”

Before any of them could continue on, the locker room door opened and Aysel’s brother appeared and nearly ran into Nate. A blush crept up on the boy’s face and into his ears as he took a step back. Nate held up his hands and grinned at him as they said at the same time, “Sorry.”

 Nate was close enough to see the boy’s dark gold eyelashes and the ring of light brown in his hazel-green eyes. He wanted to paint it. But he wasn’t sure if he could ever capture it just right. Not in a hundred years.

 The boy swallowed visibly, and Nate  _knew._ He preferred men. And he also knew, the boy wasn’t out. Nate’s smile softened, and the boy bit his lip and tore his eyes from him a long heartbeat later and looked Aysel over with a calm look, but he did not miss the alertness behind his eyes. “Where’s our parents? You shouldn’t be here alone.”

Nate’s head emptied at the soft southern drawl coming from the man. Aysel didn’t have the same accent and it threw him off. It sounded nothing like anything from the boys in Los Angeles. How  _interesting_. A country boy.

He ignored the look of deep amusement from his mother as Aysel said, “Outside. I wanted to wait for you.”

Aysel’s brother’s eyes went down to her twisting her ring and his face tightened. “Let’s get you out of here.” He flicked his eyes to Nate. “Nice seeing you again.” The man looked at his mother and dipped his head. “Ma’am.”

 And they left.

Nate just stared dumbly after them and it took him a moment to realize he  _still_ didn’t have the man’s name. He tipped his head back and banged it against the wall. “Good job, Nate,” he muttered. He had zero problems getting a man into bed and yet when it came to  _this_ one, he might have well been an awkward twelve-year-old. He sighed.

“Awe Pumpkin,” his mother smiled pityingly. “Did you forget how to English? He was so sweet. You and your brothers could learn a thing or two from that boy.”    

He cast her a dark glare when the locker room door opened again, revealing his brother and the other defensemen from the game. Adrien’s long black hair hung in damn waves, his white shirt clinging to his chest.

Their mother got in front of Adrien before he could walk around them and pulled him into a tight hug. “You did so good, Sweetheart!”

 Adrien growled and reluctantly put one of his corded arms around her. “Thank you,” he muttered, pressing his lips to her forehead. His friend gave him a pitying smile and Adrien shot him a savage glare. “Don’t even, Dex. I saw how you were with Elide. You have no room to talk, you fucking skyscraper.”

Nate choked and Dex glowered at Adrien. Their mother pulled apart from Adrien and before Nate could forget –  _again_ \- he pointed after Aysel and her brother. “Who  _is_ that?”

Dex and Adrien looked to where he was pointing and Dex rose his brows and looked back at him, studying his face. “That’s Baylor Perditus, my roommate. And the girl is Aysel. His sister.”

Nate looked back down the hallway, looking at  _Baylor._ He smiled at the protective stance Baylor had next to Aysel, though his gawking was cut short by the sound of impatience coming from Adrien. He looked back to see Adrien say, “Can I  _go_? Please? I have something I got to do.”

“Deanna,” Dex added helpfully. “That’s what he has to do.”

Adrien’s eye roll was almost audible as he blatantly ignored his teammate and looked down at their mother. “ _Mom_.”

She sighed painfully and shooed Adrien away. “Fine, fine. Expect you to be a gentleman on your date, young man. Have fun.”

“ _Thank_ you,” Adrien whispered, relived, as he kissed her cheek and pulled Dex with him as he stalked down the hallway, readjusting the strap to his duffle at his shoulder.

* * *

Deanna rested up against the wall, watching the people leave the stadium. She was trying to figure out why she wanted to come to the game. It wasn’t like she wasn’t going to see Adrien that night anyways.

But here she was, with Sammi in tow, at the rink to see Adrien. She ignored the knowing look Sammi gave her as Deanna straightened when the goalie and Dex came down the hallway. Deanna managed to school her features into neutrality as Adrien’s eyes landed on hers.

Adrien came the rest of the way up to them and looked between the two of them, his eyes lingering on her while Dex’s went to Sammi, his black eyes glittering. “What are you doing here? Come to see me play?”

Deanna nearly laughed at the smirk playing on Dex’s lips. Though Sammi, she tipped her head back and burst out laughing. “In your dreams, Declan. Deanna didn’t want to come alone and me being such a nice friend offered her company.”

Dex rose his brows and leaned against the wall, looking down at Sammi. “I was under the impression you weren’t all that nice, Samaentha. Or is your barbed tongue only for me in our studying sessions?”

Sammi put her hands on her hips and looked up at him, squinting. “ _Si vous n'étiez pas si impuissant au français, je serais peut-être plus gentil avec vous aussi._ ” Dex looked blankly at her and Sammi sighed painfully. “I  _said, ‘_ If you weren’t so helpless at French maybe I’d be nicer to you too.’” Sammi flicked her eyes to Deanna. “See what I have to work with?”

Dex’s smile only grew.

But Adrien’s eyes were on her’s, as if she were the only thing in the room. “You wanted to see me play?”

Deanna folded her arms over her chest and looked up at him. “I had some free time and I wanted to see if you were as good as you claim.”

Adrien rose a brow, his hazel-gold eyes glittering. “Of course I’m as good as I claim. They don’t just let anyone be team captain to a college team.” Dex scoffed and Adrien ignored him as he looked down at her intensely. “What did you think?”

  _I think you’re better than you claim_. “I think you owe me food.”

A small smile spread on Adrien’s lips as he tipped his head towards the doors. “I got my car here, if you want to just head out now. Or I can take you back your dorm if you want to change.”

Deanna looked down at her ripped jeans and oil stained black tank top. “Is what I’m wearing okay?” He  _still_ hadn’t told her where the damned date was, and she didn’t want to show up grossly under-dressed.

“I think you look beautiful.”

Deanna about scoffed at the compliment but the look of complete sincerity had heat rise on her face.  _Damn him_. “Well,” she started. “If what I’m wearing is alright, we can head out now. Unless  _you_ need to change.”

It was Adrien’s turn to look down. And so did she. The tattoos across his upper chest could be seen through his thin white vee neck shirt, thanks to him putting it on while he was still wet. Her mouth went dry and he lifted his eyes to her. “Do you  _want_ me to change?”

  She scowled at the teasing lilt to his voice and Sammi said, “Um,  _no.”_ Both she and Adrien looked at her. “First off, don’t change. At all.” Adrien’s brows rose and Sammi gave him one of her smiles and said innocently, “I mean you  _could_ just take your shirt off but then you and Dea will never make it to your date.” Adrien snorted and Deanna glared at her.

* * *

 “What about me?” Dex asked smiling down at her.

Sammi looked up at him and she cocked her head, a smile creeping up on her face. “ _You_  need a paper bag over your face.”

Dex braced a hand against the wall and leaned down. He was close enough to see the gold flecks in her obsidian eyes and the golden lashes framing them. “Liar.”

  He recalled the party the week before and that slender hand on his chest and the dress he had wanted to tear off. And by the look on Sammi’s face, she remembered that party too. “Mm,” she smiled. “Maybe I am.” His grin grew and then she said, “You need the oxygen to your brain lest your French grade suffers more.”

  Dex nearly gaped at her as blood rushed south. Jesus  _Christ,_ this woman. That vicious tongue of hers- He wanted it. On him, in his mouth. He wanted it to take him apart. He wanted her period. There were only so many girls that could keep up with him, who would  _talk_ to him like this.

He let out a slow breath as she laughed low and turned her head to Deanna and put her hands on her hips. “I  _know_ you aren’t about to ditch me to walk home alone, Deanna Alanis.”

  Deanna winced, and Adrien’s brows furrowed, as if he had forgotten they were with them. Dex merely looked at Sammi and said lightly, “I can give you a ride. I’m sure you and that big mouth of yours can fit in my truck.”

Sammi blinked up at him and gave him an unimpressed look. “If your driving is as good as your French I’d be better off walking. I’d much rather not  _die_.”

He scoffed and gripped her chin. “I am a fantastic driver, thank you very much.”

  Sammi merely looked up at him. “ _Si je meurs, je te blame_.”

 _If I die, I blame you_.

At least he understood  _that_. Dex gave her a slow smile. “If you die, my grade plummets. So, don’t worry so much. I’m a fantastic driver.”

 “Hmph,” Sammi said, finally jerking out of his fingers. “So, you said.” She looked at Deanna and then hugged her and whispered, “If I die, tell my sister I love her.” Deanna snorted and Sammi kissed her cheek and sauntered out of the doors. With a flick of a wave she said, “Àu revoir, Losers. Declan, come  _on_.”

“I give you four days,” Adrien said dryly. Deanna snorted.

Dex smirked and followed after Sammi. He found the bigmouthed woman leaning up against his truck, looking at her nails. He didn’t even want to know how she knew which was vehicle was his. He unlocked the truck and they both got in.

  Sammi slid her aviator sunglasses on her face as she put her feet up on his dash after clicking the seatbelt in place. He was about to tell her to remove her damned feet when she slipped them back onto the floorboard, sticking her tongue out at him. “Relax. Im not going to ruin your beloved truck.”

  He rose a brow as he started the engine. “You going to help me relax, Samaentha?”

  She smirked and looked out the windshield. “You wish.”

  Hell  _yes_  he did.

* * *

Adrien watched Dex follow after Sammi and he shook his head and looked back at Deanna. She lifted her cognac eyes up to his and the air from his lungs vanished.  _Jesus_ , they were beautiful. “You ready?”

She smiled up at him and they walked out to his car. He smiled at her eyes running over the black paint of the ’71 Dodge Challenger. “How the  _hell_ did you afford this?” She demanded, flicking her eyes at him over the hood.

“A lot of fists to the face.” At the confusion in her face, Adrien clarified as they got in the car. “I box. I won the golden gloves in my division my last year of high school.”

  The engine roared to life and Adrien could have sworn there was pure bliss on her face as she leaned back in the seat and flicked her eyes over the dash. He had pegged the girl liked cars since that first day when he saw that oil on her face.

  “That explains the broken nose.” He flicked his eyes to her as he pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic. He’s had his nose broken several times, had concussions, had his teeth nearly knocked out. “Here I thought you just picked fights.”

Adrien looked back out the windshield and snorted. “Well, I only pick fights with the assholes who mess with my family or friends. So you’re not off all that much.”

Deanna smiled and looked down at her unneat nails. “You sound like my uncle.”  
     
“That a good thing?”  
  
 “The best thing.”

Adrien smiled.

The traffic managed to thin out the further out of the city he got. He and Deanna settled into an easy banter over hockey drills and siblings. He told her about Blake being in the army and about Seth being Autistic and about Nate getting into the art program. She told him about her three younger sisters and her father being a single father raising them.

Deanna leaned forward in her seat as the restaurant came into view. Satisfaction settled in at the look of surprised approval on the woman’s face. “Roxy’s Diner has the best milkshakes in the state,” Adrien said, pulling into the parking lot.

Deanna flicked her eyes over him slowly. “I didn’t take you for one to indulge in sweets, Adrien.”

He hid his smirk as they got out of the car and went to open the door to the diner. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Deanna Alanis. Including my taste in food.”

She merely rose a brow as she stalked into the diner. She smiled at the shining black and white checkered floors and jukebox in the corner. The chatter inside barely covered the music of The Rolling Stones.

Adrien dipped his head in greet as the ladies behind the counter smiled at him. He had been coming to this diner every weekend after work since he had started college nearly four years before. He had even gotten somewhat close with the manager, Mama.

Speaking of. The rotund woman came out from behind the counter and looked between him and Deanna, a frown tugging at her red lips. “And who might you be, young lady?”

Deanna arched her brows. “You always talk to your customers like that?”

Mama folded her arms over her heavy chest, her dark eyes glittering. “I do when they’re dating Adrien.”

“Mama,” Adrien said, low with warning. “ _Stop it_.”

 The waitress blew a bubble of gum. And popped it. “Watch your tone, young man.” And then she smiled at his raised brows. “Go’on and take your seat. I’ll bring you’s your menus.” She flicked her gaze to Deanna. “Nice meet’en you.”

Adrien shook his head and guided Deanna down to the booth in the back of the diner. Deep amusement sat in his chest at the bewildered look on Deanna’s face as she slid into the seat. “She..uh.. seems rather fond of you.”

Adrien snorted. “I’ve been coming here for a while. And she’s helped me through a few finals.”

A real smile spread on Deanna’s lips. “I’m assuming you thanked her.”

“Yep. I’ve done a  _lot_ of dishes,” Adrien grinned, resting his elbow on the back of the plush booth. “I’ve also helped fix her car a few times. The thing is from the stone ages.”

“Oh?” Deanna mused, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. “I’ve heard plenty of rumors about you, Adrien Verrum. Trouble maker, convict, outright asshole.” He stopped breathing as she looked at him with those startling eyes. “ _But_ ,” she relented. “I like to make my own judgements when it comes to people, and I think that rumors tend to paint people in poor light.”

Air rushed back into his lungs and a small smile tugged at his lips. “Well,” he started. “I’m glad you have a mind of your own.”

She looked at him for a long heartbeat before saying, “And I’m glad I came.”

His smile grew. “Good.”

Mama finally came over, bringing them their menus. He nearly rolled his eyes at the amused look of the waitress. It took no small amount of patience to keep his mouth shut at the challenge the two women were leveling with each other.

Mama snapped her gum and handed Deanna her menu. “I like you’s, girly. You’s best be good to my boy. He’s too sweet to tell you’s off if you get too mouthy.” Deanna curved her lips and took the menu.

“Is that so?” Deanna said, flicking her eyes to him.

Adrien’s face burned, and Mama handed him his menu. “You know-”

Mama looked at him and put her hands on her hips. “You’s best be finishing that sentence respectfully, young man.” Adrien’s mouth snapped shut and she patted his cheek. “Good choice. I’ll be back for your orders in a few, hmm?”

 Adrien ran his hand through his hair and huffed a sigh. “She’s making me look better than I actually am.”

Deanna lifted her eyes from her menu and to his. “Why do you say that? Do you  _want_ me to think you’re some thug?”

“No,” he said quietly. “I don’t.”

Deanna’s brows furrowed, and she closed her menu and sat it on the table. She studied him for a long moment. “You just don’t know how to handle people caring about you, do you? You think that all those rumors are true so you’re not worth it.”

Adrien open and closed his mouth. “I think that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and that it’s hard to move past them.”

“You want to know what other rumors I’ve heard about you?” She asked, not unkindly. It was an effort to not sink in the booth at that intense stare. “I’ve heard that you’ll protect those that you love and that  _despite_ being horrible in school, here you are, doing the best you can. That’s what matters, Adrien. That you’re trying.”

He stared at her and her lips curled up. “My uncle has made his own fair share of mistakes, Adrien. But he has a good heart. And I’m starting to see that you do too.”

His head emptied, and Mama came over and said, “What you kids orderin’?” She flicked her eyes to Adrien. “You want your usual, honey?”

 All he could do was nod as he kept staring at Deanna. The woman’s own eyes were on his as she ordered her own food. Mama disappeared once more, and he swallowed thickly. Deanna tilted her head and looked at him. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

“Because you just keep surprising me.” Deanna snorted, and Adrien said, “That ex of yours was a complete  _idiot_.” That man ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. He let out a breath and said, “I really hope you told him off.”

She gave him a smug grin and Adrien knew he was screwed. He was utterly screwed as she leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. “I did. And I also realized I was better off without a two-timing pretentious ass who pretended to be some upstanding citizen.”

“Good.”

Their meal came, and they fell into easy conversation. It was easier than he thought it would be. Apparently, Deanna was a scholarship student and the first in her family in the last three generations to get into college.

He told her about his moms meeting in college and about his father helping them have a family of their own. In all honesty, his family was one of the most unconventional he’s ever seen, but he’d never have it any other way.

Adrien looked at the clock on his phone and then smiled at her. “You ready for the  _actual_ date? Or you want to eat some more?”

“I’m ready,” she said. “But are you going to actually  _tell_ me what we’re doing?”

He put money on the table and slid out of the booth. “Now why would I tell you something like that? Maybe I just want to see the look on your face.”

She leveled him a suspicious glare as they walked down the aisle. “I’m not overly fond of surprises, Adrien Verrum. You better not be messing with me.”

 “You’ll like this one. I promise.”

Before they could get out of the door, Adrien stopped dead in his tracks at clearing of Mama’s throat. “I know you ain’t leaving without saying goodbye.” Adrien dropped his head and sighed painfully. He ignored the chuckles from the regulars and whirled around and kissed Mama’s weathered cheek. “Much better,” she smiled and flicked her eyes to Deanna. “T’was nice meetin’ you, honey. I hope to see you’s in here again.”

Surprise settled in as Deanna inclined her head and smiled at the waitress. “Thank you.”

Mama hummed in approval. “You’s call me Mama.” Deanna smiled, and Mama kissed his cheek and shooed them out of the diner. “You kids have a good night, now. You hear?”

Deanna laughed as they went to the car. The moonlight cast shadows on the black paint and white racing stripes. It hadn’t taken them long for them to get on the road. Adrien forced his eyes to stay on the road while Deanna studied him. “I don’t think I’ve been to a restaurant like that before. Mama’s… very friendly.”

Adrien smiled fondly. “It’s a family place. Roxy’s diner has been around since the sixties. The same families have been going there since it was open. I think the way she runs the place is why its been open as long as it has.” He paused. “Well, that and the milkshakes.  _Great_ milkshakes.”

“Yeah, they were pretty-” Her words cut off as the race track came into view. Deanna snapped her head to him, her cognac eyes bright as he pulled into the parking lot. He knew he had made the right choice when Deanna whispered, “The race track? You’re bringing me to the races?”

“First race of the season,” Adrien said, parking the car. He turned to her. “So, was the surprise worth the wait?”

Deanna’s answer was barreling out of the car. Adrien chuckled and followed after her. He looked down as she slipped her calloused hand into his, pulling him to the ticket booth. His smile instantly fell, and his veins iced over at the familiar dark brown hair and blue eyes. “Jackson.”

Jax looked up from the cash register and flicked his eyes between him and Deanna. A sly smile curled up on Jax’s lips and he said, “Well, well. On a date, are we?”

“Yes,” Adrien clipped out.

 Deanna frowned between them but said nothing. He did not want to bring up his and this  _asshole’s_ previous friendship. Jax’s smile widened and he said, “That’ll be $10.95.” Adrien payed and Jax handed them their tickets. But before they got out of earshot, Jax said, “Careful to not get too heavy handed, girl. Adrien’s delicate.”

Adrien stopped dead in his tracks and Deanna whirled on Jax. “What the hell is  _that_ supposed to mean?” she demanded. Adrien closed his eyes and let out a slow breath as Jax laughed quietly. He waited for her to ask but she merely squeezed his hand and said, “Don’t listen to him. Come on, you’re going to buy me some more food and we’re going to go see the race, yeah?”

Adrien opened his eyes. The longer he looked down at her, the more the ice thawed. He inhaled sharply and swallowed thickly. “Yeah.” She searched his face, her eyes lingering on the scar and then she pulled him towards the concessions.

“Come on.”

After buying food and drinks, Adrien let Deanna pull him to the stands. They got to their seats just in time for the race to begin. The cheering and engines were nothing but a dull roar in his ears as he watched Deanna grow completely immersed into the race.

* * *

Tears slipped down Dacia’s cheeks as she stood and clapped. The sounds of applause filled her ears as she watched Biela and her company bow. She had spent the last week with Biela up in the middle of the night, in the dance studio.

She had watched Biela dance to the point of bruising and bleeding feet and it was all for this. All for the perfect dance. The pure look of triumph on Biela’s face as her chest heaved and rose her chin, bowing. Imperial, proud. And somehow, her glacial eyes were lit ablaze in the spotlight.

Next to her, Evangeline smiled widely and wiped harshly at her cheeks. “She did so good. How can she take so much pain to her feet and keep wearing those heels?”

“I don’t know,” Dacia said. “But what I do know is I  _love her_.”

 “Of course you do,” Evangeline elbowed her. “Come on. Let’s go see her.”

They struggled through the crowd and made their way backstage. By the time they got to Biela’s door, Rhys and Feyre were standing outside. Dacia stopped mid-step as Feyre’s eyes landed on hers.  _Biela’s_ eyes.

Evangeline - _Bless her_ \- put her hand on the small of Dacia’s back and smiled at Biela’s parents. “It’s lovely to see you again, Mrs. And Mr. Archeron.”

“It’s lovely to see you again, Evangeline,” Rhys smiled. He flicked his violet eyes to her. “Dacia.”

The changing room door opened, revealing Biela in her tight bun and robe, her eyes looking over the scene coolly. But then she blatantly ignored her parents and came up to Dacia and slipped her arms around her neck. Biela lifted her eyes up to her and said, “You came.”

Rhys and Feyre fell away and all that was there was Biela. Dacia feathered her thumb across Biela’s cheek and smiled. “Of course I did. You were amazing, Love.”

 Biela got up on her toes and pressed a kiss to her lips when someone cleared their throats. “Bea,” Feyre said.

Biela whipped her head around to face Feyre and Rhys. She could almost see wall after wall slip up around Biela’s heart as she glared daggers at her parents. “ _What_. You have a problem with me kissing my girlfriend?”

Both Rhys and Feyre’s faces were masks as they looked between them. Neither of them  _appeared_ affected by their daughter’s barbed tongue. Though of course, the last twenty-two years, the couple probably had plenty of practice with the woman’s particular brand of ice.

 “Biela,” Dacia whispered. “You don’t-”

Biela help up a hand and leveled her parents a look. Feyre’s eyes were on Dacia. She could see the war raging in them. And once again, Dacia hated her parents with a burning passion. Dacia’s heart sunk as Feyre absentmindedly rubbed at her arm, her gaze shuddering. “ _Biela,_ ” Feyre said. “Listen. I’m sure-”

 _No_ ,” Biela nearly snarled, her voice coated in frost. “I just got done spending nearly three hours dancing  _Swan Lake_. I am tired, hungry and I want to go home and crawl in bed with  _my_ girlfriend.”

“Retract the claws,” Rhys purred, shoving his hands in his pockets. His words were smooth, but Dacia didn’t miss the anxiety behind those eyes or the warning behind that velvet voice. “We just wanted to tell you you did beautifully tonight.”

 Biela leveled a long look with her father. The tension in her girlfriend’s shoulders disappeared as she put her arms around Rhys’s neck and hugged him, whispering, “Thank you, Daddy.”

A smile tugged on Dacia’s lips as Rhys kissed the top of Biela’s raven-haired head. “You’re welcome.” Dread set in as Rhys looked between them, that mask slipping back up on his face. “Why don’t you bring Dacia to dinner at the house on Tuesday?”

A pleasant smile sat on Rhys’s lips as Feyre shot him a look. Biela’s face was carefully neutral as she looked between her parents. “You want us to come over to dinner. Why.”

Her voice was thick with suspicion and Rhys shrugged fluidly. “Why not. Maybe we’ll learn a bit more about the lady that managed to capture our daughter’s heart.”

* * *

It was well past eleven at night by the time the races and date were over. It had honestly been one of the best nights she’d had in a long time. Minus the freeze up Adrien did at the track. Whatever relationship Adrien had with the ticket salesmen, it was long over. Especially with that frosted rage that she had seen creeping up in his eyes.

 The dorm hallway was empty as they walked back down to her room. Her skin felt charged at the touch of Adrien’s hand at the back of her back. They made it down to her dorm and she turned to face him. “Would you like to come in?”

She knew for a matter of fact Sammi was nowhere near their dorm. Adrien’s heated hazel-green eyes searched her face. “No.” Deanna blinked, and Adrien brushed her bottom lip with his thumb, “If I come in, I’m not leaving tonight, and I really,  _really_ like you and I don’t want to fuck this up.”

Her head emptied, and her heart picked up at the look of complete sincerity on his golden face. It took a few tries, but she managed to say, “Then how about a kiss goodnight and a promise to call me?”

When the hell had she become one of those girls? She didn’t care as Adrien cradled her face and pressed a kiss to her lips. The kiss was somehow soft and hard all at once and it took her apart as she hooked her arms around his neck, letting him press her up against the wall.

The callouses on Adrien’s hands brushed her skin, lighting it aflame as he kissed her senseless. She forgot about her classes, her responsibilities and the promise to herself to not get distracted from her studies.

Adrien ground against her as she opened up to him. His tongue slipped in her mouth as his hands braced her hips. His entire body felt like a rock: some steady, unmovable force that could weather any storm that was thrown at it.

He pulled apart from her and they both panted. His eyes were alight, a smile spreading on his face as he pressed his forehead to hers and slipped his hand to her cheek. “Fuck I wish I didn’t say ‘no’.”

She smiled up at him and said, “Me too.”

Adrien looked down at her for a long heartbeat before kissing her forehead. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Deanna Alanis. Thank you for the date. And for coming to my game.”

“Thank  _you_.”

He pressed one last deep kiss to her lips and turned around and walked down the hallway. Deanna gathered air into her lungs, watching Adrien disappear around the corner. She tipped her head against the wall and whispered, “I’m in trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part!! THank you for reading! Comments and Kudos are loved :)


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know we could just turn back around and go have dinner at your apartment, Bea,” Caius said lightly, slipping his arm around her waist and pressing his lips to her temple. “You don’t have to put up with this.”
> 
> Biela inhaled sharply and said coolly, “No. This is ending once and for all. I am sick of her hypocrisy. If Feyre Archeron has a problem with my girlfriend, she can deal with me.” She ignored Caius’s wince and pressed a kiss to his cheek and said primly, “Thank you, though.”
> 
> “Leash the claws,” Caius whispered, knocking on the door. “For me? Please? I don’t wanna be an orphan.”
> 
> Biela gave him a small smile, “I will if she will.”

Biela couldn’t keep the frost from building in her veins the closer they got to her house. Caius and Rhoe were silent in the backseat and Dacia’s hand was steady on her thigh. She should just turn the car  _around_ and not have to have dinner with a woman who had  _such_ a problem with her and Dacia.

But here she was, pulling up into the long drive, and pulling her black Lexus up next to her father’s silver Mercedes Benz. They got out and Biela smoothed down her skirt and ran her hand through her hair.

“You know we could just turn back around and go have dinner at your apartment, Bea,” Caius said lightly, slipping his arm around her waist and pressing his lips to her temple. “You don’t have to put up with this.”

Biela inhaled sharply and said coolly, “No. This is ending once and for all. I am  _sick_ of her hypocrisy. If Feyre Archeron has a problem with my girlfriend, she can deal with  _me_.” She ignored Caius’s wince and pressed a kiss to his cheek and said primly, “Thank you, though.”

“Leash the claws,” Caius whispered, knocking on the door. “For me? Please? I don’t wanna be an orphan.”

Biela gave him a small smile, “I will if she will.”

“Oh God,” Caius groaned. “This is going to be interesting.”

Rhoe looked between them all carefully. She nearly asked Caius why the  _hell_  his roommate was here to witness the train wreck that was about to unfold, but she stopped the words at the smile Caius gave Rhoe.

Dacia pressed a quick kiss to her lips and said, “It’ll be fine.”

The door opened to reveal her father looking down at all of them with glittering eyes and a smile curling up on his lips. Surprise flashed in her father’s eyes at the look of Rhoe, but it quickly disappeared as he said, “Come on in. Dinner’s almost ready.”

 They all ushered inside, and Caius slung his arm over Rhoe’s shoulder and pulled him down the hall, most likely to Caius’s old bedroom. Biela laced her fingers with Dacia and pulled her down to her own old bed room.

* * *

Dacia flicked her gaze through Biela’s childhood bedroom. The soft light grey carpeting and black silk bedding, the entire bedroom was soft and sophisticated with clean lines with shades of black and whites everywhere, with splashes of colors. Her eyes went to the black and white poster above the bed. It was of a ballerina. She was so graceful and elegant. She looked at Biela smiling at the poster with glittering eyes. “That’s Margot Fonteyn. She danced  _Swan Lake_ back in the sixties.”

“That’s amazing.”

Biela flicked her eyes to Dacia. “Daddy was able to get that signed by her before she died from cancer and he gave it to Morrigan when she opened her dance studio, who then gave it to  _me_  when I was ten. I wish I had been able to see her dance. I’ve seen videos and she was truly amazing.”

 Dacia kissed Biela’s knuckles and said, “ _You_ are amazing. I’m sure she would have loved to see you dance Swan Lake. You’d make her proud.”

Biela looped her arms around Dacia’s neck and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Flattery gets you everywhere, Darling.” Dacia began to smirk when Biela cupped the side of Dacia’s face and brought her lips down for a longer kiss. “I’m glad I met you.”

Dacia laughed quietly and kissed her nose. “I’ve been meaning to ask you what you were doing in that strip club for over a year now.”

Biela arched a brow. “I wanted to see pretty girls dance.” It was Dacia’s turn to raise a brow and Biela relented, “Okay, I was dragged there by Lyria. She wanted to get drinks and I went along for moral support.”

“You?” Dacia asked dryly. “Moral support?”

A bit of wickedness shone in those glacial eyes as a smile spread on those beautiful lips. “Helps that I was screwing her, I suppose. You’d be amazed at how tolerable Lyria is when you’re in her pants.” Considering Biela and Lyria’s rivalry for the spotlight, Dacia didn’t doubt it.

Dacia choked on a laugh as she brushed Biela’s bottom lip with her thumb. “I suppose in the grand scheme of things, I get to thank Lyria for meeting you, then. I’ll make sure to get her a fruit basket.”

* * *

Rhoe couldn’t help but look around Caius’s room a bit dazed. He could list on his hands the number of boys’ rooms he had been in on one hand: Sam and Ryan and… now Caius. Maybe one or two others, but he couldn’t really recall much.

Caius’s bedroom was warm and well lived in. Light blue bedspread and painting supplies strewn on a desk with a computer. Books on the shelf, from what Rhoe could tell they were mostly fantasy. Sam would probably enjoy them.

 His eyes snagged on a photograph with Caius kissing some boy’s cheek and his arm around the boy’s shoulders. The boy’s head was tipped back in a suspended laugh and Rhoe’s chest felt incredibly hollow. He had his own photographs of him and Ryan, though no one was aware they existed. They were on his phone. Which suddenly felt like a weight in his pocket.

Rhoe pushed Ryan away and went further into Caius’s bedroom and sat on the bed cross legged while Caius grabbed the photograph and said, “Lonnie. He ended up going to college across the country.” A fond smile played at Caius’s lips, though it was tinged in sadness. “We ended up breaking up. He didn’t think we’d survive long distance.”

“I’m sorry,” Rhoe signed.

Caius shrugged fluidly and sat the picture back down. “It’s whatever.”

Rhoe could see it was definitely  _not_ ‘whatever’ but he opted to not call him out on it. Instead Rhoe laid back against the bed and put his hands behind his head. The ceiling above him was a beautiful mural of stars and whorls of galaxies.

Caius settled down next to him with his hands out in front of him as he carefully signed, “My mom painted it back when I was like three. Pretty huh?”

Rhoe smiled at him and brought his hands up and signed, “Absolutely beautiful.” Rhoe hesitated a moment, not sure if it was smart to ask, but he said, ‘fuck it’ and did it anyways, “Why don’t your parents like D-A-C-I-A?”

Caius cocked his head thoughtfully and signed, “Mom dated D-A-C-I-A-S father and Dad had a bad experience with her mother. He never told me what happened, but I assume it’s bad. It isn’t fair. D-A-C-I-A is a sweetheart. I’ve never seen B-I-E-L-A so happy.”

Rhoe thought it was incredibly sweet that Caius cared so much about his sister’s happiness, about  _Dacia’s_ happiness. Even when looking at Dacia for too long made his chest ache, Rhoe liked her. She  _was_ a sweetheart.

Caius shot up into a sitting position and looked towards the doorway. Rhoe sat up as well, to see a woman with golden brown hair and blue-grey eyes standing at the doorway. Feyre. She came in and sat on the edge of the bed and looked between them carefully. “You must be Rhoe. I didn’t realize you’d be joining us for dinner.”

Caius slung his arm around Rhoe’s neck and said, “Yes, well. You wouldn’t have to worry so much if you just gave Dacia a  _chance_ , Mother. You know she’s going to fight you tooth and nail for her.”

Feyre ghosted a finger over her arm and her gaze shuddered. “You need to stay out of it, Caius.”

 Caius’s easy smile disappeared, and a mask rose up on his handsome face.  “I won’t. I won’t because Biela is my sister and  _I_ want her happy. Obviously, you don’t if you can’t let go of the past.” Before Feyre could say another word, Caius slipped from his bed and held out a hand to him. “Come on. If Mom is here, then dinner is done.”

Rhoe shook his head and waved Caius off as he signed, “Go. I want to talk to your mom.”

Surprise flashed across Caius’s face as he looked between them carefully. But then he have Rhoe one of his smiles and gave him a mock bow and turned on his heel and swaggered out of the bedroom.

Feyre looked at him, utterly puzzled, but Rhoe held up a finger and pulled out his phone and began to type:  **I don’t know you or your family and I have no right to speak about what has happened between you and Dacia’s father. But, I know pain. I know what it’s like to be afraid. I know what its like to wish you could go back and do everything over. Let Biela make her choices. Let her love Dacia. It may end in flames or it may end in something beautiful. You won’t know unless you let her. The only thing you will accomplish is pushing her away.**

Rhoe handed her his phone and she read the screen for a long moment. Her face grew more and more cold with each word, but she then handed it back to him and said, “You’re right. You don’t have any right to say anything.”

And with that, Feyre Archeron got up from the bed and stalked out of the bedroom. Rhoe sighed through his nose and slipped his phone back into his pocket and followed after her.

Rhoe got to the stairs just to see Caius waiting for him. “Do I want to know what you talked to my mother about?” Rhoe shook his head and Caius sighed and hooked his arm around Rhoe’s neck as they stalked down the stairs. “You tried.”

* * *

Dacia sat at the table next to her girlfriend. Rhys and Feyre were together towards one end and Rhoe and Caius were at the other. She hadn’t missed Rhoe looking at her. He  _kept_ looking at her, as if he saw someone whenever he did. But, there was such sadness in those turquoise eyes and she didn’t know what to do about it.

Dacia kept her hand on Biela’s knee, trying her best to keep her girlfriend from going for the throat. Biela’s small smile from the bedroom had utterly disappeared, leaving a mask of solid ice in its wake. A queen on the battlefield.

Dinner started off okay. It started off with Rhysand and Caius going over classes and Rhys asking Rhoe what he majored in. Apparently, the freshman was majoring in graphic design and something involving computers.

The dinner went on and Rhys turned his attention to her. A mask rose up on his face as he carefully studied her. Rhys took a long drink from his glass and said, “You’re a college student as well, yes?”

 Biela brushed her hand on Dacia’s thigh as Dacia said, “Yes. I’m majoring in behavioral sciences. I’m hoping to get my bachelors in psychology this year.”

“Fascinating,” Feyre said, neutrally, running her finger down the spine of her fork. Biela stiffened beside her and Dacia squeezed her knee as Feyre said, “What’s your parents think of your choice? I can’t imagine Tamlin wanting his progeny not taking after the family business.”

“Quite frankly I don’t know what my father thinks of my career choice,” Dacia said politely. “And I don’t care to.”

“Oh?” Feyre asked, lacing her fingers together. “So you haven’t spoken to him, then?”

“No,” Biela said curtly, nearly digging her nails into Dacia’s thigh. “Dacia hasn’t spoken to either of her parents since she was seventeen.” It took everything to not wince at those nails when Feyre arched a brow. “They did not approve of her lifestyle.”

 “Lifestyle?” Rhys asked.

“They did not approve of her preferring to fuck  _girls_ , Daddy,” Biela said sharply. “They threw her out.” Dacia closed her eyes and sighed. Her father had caught her with her study partner in the middle of a heated kissing session and had lost his temper. Sometimes she could still hear him in her ears.

Biela laced their fingers under the table and squeezed her hand in apology.

Pity flickered on Feyre’s face and she said, “I’m sorry.”

‘It was a long time ago,” Dacia said numbly.

Something flickered in Feyre’s gaze as she took a drink of her wine. “So what did you do? How did you support yourself? I can’t imagine it was easy finding work.”

“Actually,” Dacia said slowly. “I was able to find work as a dancer.”

“Really?” Feyre blinked. “With what company? I have a friend-”

“Not that kind of dancer,” Biela said coolly. Her gaze was thick with confrontation as she stared down her mother.

Realization flickered in Feyre and Rhys’s gaze and Dacia’s face burned. There weren’t many other jobs she could find at the time. She was a high schooler who needed the money and fast food jobs weren’t going to cut it. Not while she lived in the city. And she always had been good at dancing, so she swallowed her pride and took the job.

“I worked nights while I finished my senior year of high school. And then I took a couple years off before starting college to save up. My parents weren’t going to help with loans, so I got work at one of the clubs in the city.”

“You still work there, then,” Feyre said. “Even when Biela gave you a home, where you don’t have to pay for rent. Even when she went out of her way to find you a job.”

Biela’s eyes blazed and before Dacia could stop her, Biela stood from her chair and slammed her hands down on the table. “That is  _enough_. I am so  _sick_ of your hypocrisy. You managed to give Daddy the benefit of the doubt when you met. But you can’t do that for  _her_? She’s not going to hurt me,” Biela snapped. “If anyone is going to get hurt, it’s  _her_.”

Feyre blinked and Dacia could see Biela was on the verge of tears. Something she never thought she would have seen from the woman. Biela had gone straight from angry to enraged as the last six months of frustration drowned her. “I am the vicious one, right? I am the one everyone has to apologize for. I hurt everyone when I open my mouth. So if there is anyone who isn’t good  _enough_ ,” her voice cracked. “It’s me.”

Rhoe looked between them all with wide eyes and Caius got up from his seat when Biela turned around and stalked out of the room and to, what Dacia assumed, her bedroom. Dacia heard a door slam and Caius glared at his mother and said, “You happy now?”

Dacia stood from her seat and said, “You don’t have to like me, Mrs. Archeron, but I love your daughter and you crossed a line.”

Before either Rhys or Feyre could say a word, Dacia and Caius went after Biela. Caius went to turn the nob and found it locked. He dipped his head and said, “Bea, open up.”

“ _No_.”

“If you don’t I swear to god I will kick the door down,” Caius warned.

Biela was quiet for a long moment before yanking the door open. Biela’s eyeliner was smeared and her face as cold as ever as her chest heaved. She turned around sharply and went back to her bed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Dacia went in and pulled her to her chest and pressed her lips to the top of her hair and hummed. “It’s okay, Love. It’s okay.” Biela curled against her and Dacia whispered, “Do you really think that? Do you really think you’re not good enough for me?”

Biela wouldn’t look at her, so Dacia sunk to the floor and cradled the woman’s face in her hands and said, “Nothing you could do could ever make me think you weren’t good enough. You may not be the  _nicest_ person alive, but you have the biggest heart I have ever seen.”

Biela sniffled and looked down at her and Dacia continued, “Do you think just anyone would give their home to a girl they didn’t know? A  _stripper_ nonetheless? Biela Archeron, I love you and one of these days I’m going to marry you, and no one can take that away from us.”

Fresh tears slipped down Biela’s cheeks and Dacia pressed her lips to the woman’s brow. Caius knelt next to her and took Biela’s hands and said, “You should have seen their faces. I have never been more proud to be your brother, holy shit.”

Biela choked on a sob and Caius pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her hair. Caius slipped his glittering eyes to her and they were worrying and utterly pissed off. But he held onto his sister tightly.

A light knock sounded behind them and she turned around the see Feyre and Rhys standing at the doorway. “ _Get out_ ,” Caius snarled.

Biela stiffened in Caius’s arms and Feyre’s eyes were filled with sorrow as she flicked her gaze to Dacia and said, “Can I speak to you? Please?”

“ _No_ ,” Biela snapped, glaring daggers at her mother.

Dacia kissed the top of Biela’s hair and got up on her feet and followed after both Rhys and Feyre down to the kitchen. The couple sat next to each other at the counter and Dacia hesitantly took a one of the seats across from them. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

Feyre smoothed her hands over the table and said, “Dacia, I am so sorry.” Dacia blinked back surprise as Feyre continued, “I have no problem with what you do, with who you are. My problem has always been your parents and I realize,” her breath shuddered, “I realize that I have been unfair to you. I wanted to get you angry, to see how you would react when you lost your temper.”

Dacia took a deep breath and said, “I understand. I  _do_ have a temper. I have my father’s temper and I have gone head to head plenty of times with Biela before I started to understand her. But I have  _never_ laid a hand on your daughter. And as far as trading insults go, she is far better at it than I.”

“So what was this,” A voice demanded. “Some kind of test?”

Dacia turned around to see Biela standing at the doorway with her fingers curled tightly into fists. Her glacial eyes could freeze over the entire room as she glared at her parents. “You couldn’t take me at my word? That I know what the hell I’m doing? You had to act like  _this_. She’s a person, not an experiment.”

“Parents will do what they have to, to protect their children,” Rhys said calmly. “Including pissing them off. We needed to see for ourselves what Dacia would do.”

 Biela shook her head. “You went too far. I won’t forgive this.” She flicked her eyes to Dacia and said, “We’re leaving.”

Biela whirled back around and stalked out of the kitchen. Dacia turned back around and looked at Feyre and Rhys and said, “I should probably go. Dinner was delicious. Thank you.”

Rhys snorted and said, “The food wasn’t  _that_ good. Feyre cooked.”

Feyre smacked his arm and turned her eyes to her. “You have my blessing, Dacia. “Please don’t make me regret it.”

* * *

There were so many people in the library and Connie had to force herself to go inside. It had felt like they all had their eyes on her, that they were watching her and talking about her. Logically she knew they weren’t. Logically she knew they were all focused on their own homework and on whatever they were doing.  _Logically_ -

_Stop it_ , She scolded herself.

She turned up the music louder and took another drink of her tea and in attempt to calm her overactive nerves. She focused on her breathing. Slow and steady breaths, that was what Lysandra had said.

Connie uncapped her highlighter and highlighted her text. She managed to melt everything away when someone plopped down next to her, nearly scaring the daylights out of her. Connie yanked down her headphones when she realized he was talking to her. “Excuse me?”

The boy gave her a lazy grin. Her skin prickled when he said, “We should get started, yeah? I have practice later so-”

Connie blinked at him. Who  _was_ he? Did she promise him something? She had no recollection of ever meeting the boy before but… what if she forgot? What kind of person forgot a boy who was nearly a solid foot taller than she? What kind of person forgets that they  _promised_ -

“What- What’s your name again?” She asked carefully, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

The boy looked her over, far too closely for her comfort and arched a brow. “You’re still keeping up that rouse? Okay,  _Connie_. It’s Dex. Now, can we please get back to tutoring?”

_Rouse?_

“What?” She said a bit dumbly. “I don’t- I don’t tutor.”

Dex snorted and flipped open his textbook, “Yeah, and I don’t play hockey.” Connie curled her fingers into a ball and took a slow breath. Her stomach started knotting and her blood began thrumming. Dex looked up from his book and said, “Are you okay?”

Her throat tightened, and she whispered, “I’m not a tutor.”

The boy looked at her closer, but not in the same way as before. Any trace of the wry humor that was etched on his face was now long gone. Tears pricked behind her eyes and the boy said, “Samaentha?”

The air rushed out of her lungs and she would have fallen if she weren’t sitting. Oh.  _Oh._ This must be the boy her sister was helping. “I’m not Sammi,” Connie said, a bit too loudly. “I’m  _Connie_. Connallie Rosalynn Blackbeak.  _That_  is my name.” Dex blinked.

“Connie-”

People glared at her and Connie got up from her seat and stalked out of the library as fast as she could. She barely made it outside before she collapsed on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Her blood was pounding, and she couldn’t _breathe_ -

 Tears slipped down, and she couldn’t control them as a sob tore out of her throat. She barely registered the boy that knelt down in front of her, or the piercing hazel-green eyes. “Connie,” the boy said roughly. “ _Look_ at me.”

It was an order.

Connie looked up at the boy’s harsh freckled face and the boy dropped his duffle bag on the ground and said, “It’s Bay. Remember?”

_Bay_.

She nodded, and he gave her a small smile and quietly ordered, “Slow and steady breaths. Do it for me.” She inhaled, and Bay nodded encouragingly, “Breathe in and out slowly.” She exhaled slowly, and Bay pulled her into a hug and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “There we go,” he whispered.

“ _Shit_ ,” a voice said.

Bay lifted his head and demanded, “Did you do this?”

Guilt flickered across Dex’s face. “I thought she was Samaentha.”

Bay scoffed and said, “They look nothing alike.”

Connie blushed.

“Yeah,” Dex said, a half smile curling up on his face as he looked at Connie fondly, “I can see that now. There’s just.. I don’t know why I didn’t see it in there.”

“Call Sammi,” Bay said. “Tell her that Connie’s outside the Library and she needs her. Tell her to call Connie’s roommate and have her get Connie’s anxiety meds from their room.” Bay pulled apart from her and looked down at her and said, “Where are they at? The meds?”

“The.. the..” Connie closed her eyes, trying to remember, and then said, “The side table. There’s an ‘A’ drawn with a sharpie on the lid. It’s my PRN.”

Bay looked up at Dex and said, “You got that?”

The boy grumbled and did as ordered. Bay brushed a calloused thumb over her cheek and carefully looked her over. Confliction warred on his face and then smoothed out as he unzipped his hoodie and threw it over her shoulders. “Here.”

She nearly gaped at seeing him in short sleeves and fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” her voice cracked.

“ _Stop_ ,” he said gruffly, his gaze shuddering. “It’s fine.”

It most definitely was  _not_ fine. She knew why he wore long sleeves. She opened her mouth to argue but shut it at the firm warning look in his eyes. Instead she sniffled and pulled the hoodie closer and pressed her forehead against his chest.

Her eyes closed as Bay wrapped a protective arm around her. Connie couldn’t help but think back to those group therapy sessions in the hospital where Bay was too silent and proud to speak up. She remembered seeing him holding his arms over his chest tightly and glaring at anyone who came near him.

“They’re on their way,” Dex said roughly.

“Good,” was all Bay said.

She sensed Dex kneel next to Bay and look at her. “I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. “I thought Sammi was fucking with me when she said she had an identical twin sister. My roommate called her by your name and I guess he just got you two mixed up.”

Connie sniffled, and looked at Bay, “You…?”

Bay scoffed and shook his head. “No, not me. He means Ash, the dumbass.” Bay flicked his eyes to Dex and whispered something to him. Dex nodded quietly, his gaze flickering. Bay turned back to her and said. “You know I’d never get you two mixed up.”

A half-laugh half-sob bubbled out of her and she wiped her cheek and whispered, “Please don’t go.”

Bay held her gaze steadily and promised solemnly, “I’m not going anywhere. I just told him to make sure his dad knows I might be late to practice. I’m staying with you until your meds kick in.”

“Thank you,” she said in a small voice.

“Us freaks gotta stick together, right?” Bay said dryly. She smiled a bit.

“Connie!”

Bay looked over his shoulder to see Sammi and Nadia running up to them. Her sister was in a pair of ripped jeans and a cut off tee shirt and Nadia was in a pair of black skinny jeans and a spaghetti strapped tank top, showing the slim chain that disappeared beneath the low collar.

Sammi knelt in front of her and clasped her face, “What happened! You’ve been doing so good!” Connie blinked up at her and Sammi sighed, “Sissy, what am I going to do with you?” Connie tried glaring at her and Sammi pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’m kidding.”

 “It’s my fault,” Dex said quietly. “I thought she was you.”

Sammi snapped her head to Dex and she got up to her feet and said, “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Dex winced and Sammi fisted her fingers in his shirt and yanked him with her. “Come  _on_.”

Nadia knelt in front of her and pulled a pill bottle from her pocket and placed it in her hand. “Here. Why didn’t you tell me you were studying! I would have come with you! I have homework too you know.”

A small smile spread on Nadia’s lips and fresh tears slipped down Connie’s face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I figured you’d get tired of spending so much time with me.”

“ _Honey_ ,” Nadia sighed comfortingly, squeezing Connie’s knee, “You’re my friend. I like spending time with you.” All she could do was stare at her but then Nadia looked at Bay and said, “Who are  _you_?”

Bay leveled a look at her, ice rising up on his handsome features. She could almost see the impenetrable walls rising up around his heart as he folded his arms over his chest, hiding the scars. “Who I am is none of your concern.”

Nadia’s brows flattened, and she said, “If it involves my roommate it does. Why did you help her?”

Bay looked at her for a long moment. “I’ve known Connallie for years.” Bay paused and studied Nadia’s face and scoffed, “I’m not trying to get in her pants, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Before Nadia could respond, Bay unzipped his duffle bag and pulled out a bottle of water and placed it in Connie’s hand and ordered, “Take your meds. Now.”

Connie opened the bottle of water when Nadia looked at Bay and snapped, “Don’t tell her what to do. She’s not your girlfriend.”

Bay gave her a humorless smile that could freeze hell’s flames. “I’ll say whatever the fuck I want to say.” Nadia’s face hardened and Bay flicked his eyes to Connie, blatantly ignoring Nadia. “Go on,” he prompted. “You’ll feel better.”

Connie did as instructed, and Bay watched her carefully take her meds. Bay was in a mood, it would seem. But Connie pushed that thought away and tightened the hoodie around her. It was too big for her. She was too skinny, thanks to forgetting to eat. People had often accused her of having an eating disorder.

It was infuriating. 

* * *

Dex didn’t know why he hadn’t realized it when he saw Connie. She was warm and soft around the edges whereas Sammi was loud and crackling with fire. Sammi was a wild child at heart and Connie was a girl who found comfort in the rain. And now that he saw it, Connie was thin whereas Sammi was muscle.

 It was an effort to not grimace when Sammy smacked his chest and said, “Do you believe me  _now_ , you Giant? My sister had been doing  _so_ well and then you had to just go and be  _you_  and scare the ever-living daylights out of her.”

 “I’m sorry, Samaentha,” Dex said quietly. Sammi blinked, surprised, and then Dex asked, “Do you really think she was  _afraid_ of me?”

Sammi’s shoulders dropped and she sighed, “Honestly, I don’t know. Some gargantuan boy who has no right being as tall and muscular as he is, goes and starts talking to her, thinking she’s the girl he’s been flirting with for the last two weeks and on top of that, she has an anxiety disorder. What do you think?”

What did he think? He was thinking he had never made such a damned fool out of himself ever in his life. He should have just took Sammi at her word instead of antagonizing her.

 Dex sighed and looked over his shoulder to see Connie pressing her forehead against Bay’s shoulder as the man whispered to her. A faint smile spread on Connie’s lips and Dex turned back to Sammi. “What’s their deal?”

Sammi looked past him and shrugged fluidly. “They met when Connie got committed. She told me there was a boy who fought the orderlies tooth and nail and when I saw Bay playing at your game, I knew he was the boy she was talking about. Especially when he hugged her at the dorm thingy.”

Bay was committed? He didn’t know why the hell he was surprised. He’d spent the last month with the man and it was clear he wasn’t exactly mentally sound. He also hadn’t thought Bay was all that affectionate. Especially with how often he had seen Ash and he at each other’s throats.

“Interesting,” was all Dex said.

* * *

Adrien followed Deanna through the empty dorm hallway. It was closing on ten at night and after the date they had, Adrien’s blood was thrumming. He had been rather pleased at the surprised look on Deanna’s face when he had gotten her flowers.

They stopped in front of Deanna’s dorm room and before Adrien knew what he wads doing, he had Deanna pressed against the wall and had his lips crushing hers. He brushed his hand just beneath the hem of her shirt as he pressed deeper into her.

Deanna looped her arms around his neck and yanked him down. A moan sat in the bottom of his throat as she bit into his bottom lip. His entire body was wound, and he was fairly certain his fingers were nearly bruising the woman’s hip.

Deanna’s fingers dug into the base of his neck as his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth. She acquiesced easily and pushed back into his mouth with such a dizzying fervor. Christ, this  _woman_ , Adrien thought distantly, as her fingers slipped down the collar of his shirt and lightly scrapped his back.

She tore her lips from his and looked up at him with those heated startling eyes and said firmly, “You’re coming in. Sammi’s gone and will be for most of the night.”

All he could do was nod as Deanna pulled a key out of her pocket. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, let alone his lips as she unlocked the door. They nearly fell through as the door swung open. A startled laugh bubbled out of her as Adrien hooked his arm around her and the doorframe, keeping them from falling on their asses.

They got the rest of the way into the room and Adrien kicked the door shut as they pulled their shoes and socks off.

Deanna went to pull her shirt off, but froze midlift when Adrien nearly growled, “No.” She arched a brow and he said, “Let me.”

Her teeth gleamed in the darkness as she smiled. Adrien hooked his fingers into the thin material of her tank top and pulled it over her head in a single motion while pushing her back against the door.

Adrien pulled his own shirt off. He felt himself start to smirk as she cast her startling eyes blatantly over his chest. “Like what you see?” he asked, slipping a hand to unhook her bra.

Deanna rolled her eyes, but she smiled as Adrien glided the straps off her shoulders and let it drop on the floor. “Nothing I haven’t seen before,” she said lightly, her eyes bright. Though the offhanded affect it was meant to have was diminished at the pure breathlessness of it.

It just made his smirk grow. “Liar.”

He had spent years boxing and playing hockey and after what almost happened when he was in jail, Adrien made himself appear as untouchable as possible.

Deanna’s eyeroll was nearly audible but it was fond.

Adrien looked her over hungrily as he brushed a thumb over her peaked breast. Her dark skin was muscular, fit for a girl who was used to lifting heavy things in a garage and playing hockey. The girl was strong, in more ways than one.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, dipping his head to suck on the woman’s neck, leaving a hickey in its wake.

Adrien ached between his legs, to the point it was nearly painful. He refrained from shoving his hand in his pants to alleviate the issue: He’d be damned before he got off before she did.

Deanna made a small noise in her throat as he nipped at the sensitive skin and ran a hand from the swell of her breasts down the plane of her torso, going to the button of the cargo pants at her hips.

Lowering to his knees, Adrien pressed hot kisses on his way down, his fingers playing at the hem and brushing the lace of her panties. Deanna’s fingers laced through Adrien’s hair and nearly yanked at it when Adrien bit at the woman’s hip.

“Fuck,” She breathed.

Deep satisfaction instilled in him as he watched the woman close her eyes and tip her head back against the door. Her breath shuddered as Adrien pulled her pants down her hips and nipped at the tiger stripes on Deanna’s thigh.

* * *

Deanna’s heart was thunderous in her body, her blood was electric as Adrien ran his broad hands up her thighs, those damned callouses raising gooseflesh in their wake. Deanna’s eyes snapped open and she said a bit breathlessly, “Do you-”

Adrien didn’t look up from his rather thorough kissing as he slipped a hand in the back of his black jeans and took the tinfoil package out with two fingers. “Never leave without one,” he said against her skin, the roughness of his voice sending heat through her body.

Course he doesn’t.

With a body like his, she didn’t doubt he got rather a decent amount of attention from the fairer sex. Not to mention the fact the man was a  _hockey player_. And a boxer, at that. “A bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

Adrien turned his hazel-gold eyes up to her and he arched a brow as a fully male, arrogant small smirk ghosted his lips. “Was I wrong, though?”

_Ass_.

 Adrien laughed a bit darkly as he slipped her panties down from her hips. His eyes went dark as his attention snapped solely on her stepping out of the scraps of lace. Her blood thrummed as Adrien ran his hands up her legs and caressed the back of her thighs before spreading them apart.

Deanna was very aware of the fact that the man kneeling in front of her was still in his jeans, while she was very much naked. But that particular thought evaporated when Adrien held her gaze as he lifted her leg over his shoulder.

Adrien pressed a scorching kiss on the inside of her thigh as he slipped a hand to brace the back of her thigh and the  _other_ -

 He feathered his thumb along her folds teasingly to draw out how far he could go before she started begging. Deanna was  _not_ going to  _beg_  to be  _fucked_. But the teasing pace and the heat that wound her body to the point of  _demanding_ release-

Deanna yanked impatiently at his hair and nearly gasped out as he slipped his middle finger into her tight heat, his thumb- his _damned_ thumb- thoroughly teasing the stars out of her before he dipped his head.

Deanna’s heart was pounding through every inch of her as Adrien’s breath brushed against her arousal. A small noise that sounded more like a whimper than anything escaped her as Adrien’s tongue traced along her folds and then her clit.

_Christ_.

He set out a steady pace, slow and teasing and ever so calculated with every intention of drawing out as many noises from her as possible. And damn him, it was working. Her pleasure mounted and she nearly gasped as his fingers found  _just there_.

Deanna barely flew her arm over her mouth to smother her cries as those fingers and that tongue barreled her orgasm out of her. Deanna’s chest heaved as she forced oxygen into her lungs. “ _Fuck_ ,” she nearly sobbed.

Adrien pressed his forehead against her thigh as she caught her breath. It was the only sound in the room for a long heartbeat and Deanna could only stare as Adrien sucked his fingers clean one by one before lowering her leg from his shoulder.

Her legs shook from the force of her orgasm and she nearly collapsed.

Adrien got up to his feet and his lips were on hers once again. She nearly grimaced at the taste on his tongue but the thought was instantly distant as he pressed deeper into her and hooked his arm around her waist to keep her from melting into the damned floor.

His erection was hard against her stomach.

 Adrien inhaled sharply as Deanna slipped her hand down his jeans to grope him. She was pleasantly surprised to learn the man didn’t wear underwear, but she filed that thought away as she leaned forward and looked up and said, “Fuck me.”

Adrien yanked her hand out and pinned her wrist against the wall as he looked down at her with dark eyes glittering with a near primal amusement. “Are you telling me what to do?”

Deanna merely rose her chin at the low purr from Adrien. She felt her bones electrify as he cast a long, thorough look over every curve and edge of her body as he let go of her wrist and ordered, “Then put it on me.”

Heat rose up on her cheeks. The condom. That’s what he was talking about. Deanna grinned and lowered to her knees and found the small tinfoil rectangle as Adrien leaned against the wall. She slipped the belt out of their loops and pulled his jeans down his hips.

Her mouth went dry at the aching hardness between Adrien’s legs. Hell, it looked painful, but she merely tore the condom package open and leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cock. A low groan sat in Adrien’s chest as she curled her fingers around it and gave it an experimental stroke.

The second she had it rolled on, Adrien had her scooped up his arms and had her flesh against the wall. Deanna looped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips as he pressed hot, wet kisses down her jaw, her neck, her collarbone.

He groaned deeply against her skin at the light scrape of nails against his back as he buried himself inside her and whispered hoarsely, “ _Christ_.”

Deanna nearly whimpered at the utter fullness of the man. Her heart was hammering merely from the  _look_  Adrien gave her as he began rolling his hips into her. Those lidded hazel-gold eyes were dark with desire and bone deep adoration.

She had absolute faith he wouldn’t drop her. With muscles like his, she wouldn’t be surprised if the man could lift two of her.

Of the few boyfriends she’d ever had, not one of them had looked at her like she was the only thing on the goddamned planet. Adrien looked at her like a man in the desert, as if she was the only thing that could keep him going.

It was… Intense.

Deanna dipped her head down and kissed him hard and nearly gasped against his mouth as he thrusted deeply. Her shoulders feel back, pressed to the wall as she rolled her own hips against him, meeting him trust for thrust, roll for roll.

She threaded her fingers into his damp hair as his hand slipped down her back to grip her just beneath her ass. His fingers dug deeply enough Deanna thought Adrien would bruise her skin. Not that she particularly  _cared_.

She was a hockey player and was well acquainted with bruising.

The mounting pleasure between her legs washed over her and every neuron was on fire as Adrien dipped his head and sucked on Deanna’s neck, branding her with another hickey. The stimulation pouring through her was going to  _kill her_.

Adrien braced a hand against the wall and thrusted deeply and Deanna felt herself draw closer and closer to the edge with each touch, with those eyes looking at her like that. Adrien dipped his head and kissed her harshly.

Deanna gasped out as his angle changed and the pressure between her legs grew and before she could touch herself, Adrien pinned her wrist over her head and thrusted again. She nearly whimpered from the sheer frustration, but Adrien grunted, “No. Let me.”

Her glare failed completely as Adrien dropped his head against her shoulder, his breath against her skin electrifying her as he ran a firm calloused hand down her side and to the apex between her thighs.

He brushed his thumb on her clit and Deanna dug her nails into his back and buried her face into his neck as her orgasm shattered through her. “Fuck,” she panted against his skin. “Fucking Christ.”

Adrien groaned against her neck at the feeling of her walls tightening around him. His fingers curled tighter around her wrist as he thrusted deeper again and again as he pressed his forehead against hers.

 Adrien held her gaze so intensely, she was certain she’d come apart in his arms all over again. She gasped out as his hips rolled forward and hit  _just there_  once more, coaxing every shred of desire out of her.

  He thrusted once, twice and on the third time, Adrien nearly sobbed against her skin and panted, “Fuck.  _Fuck_.” as and he shattered deeply inside her. His breath mingled with hers and it was the only sound as Adrien propped them against the wall on shaky legs. “I wish I fucking did this sooner,” he said hoarsely against her skin. “God damn.”

Deanna laughed a bit breathlessly as she fisted her fingers through Adrien’s damp hair. “Stay,” she whispered. “Stay with me tonight.”

Adrien gave her a worn-out grin as he lowered her to the ground and feathered a thumb over her cheek. “Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere. But I need a fucking cigarette.”

* * *

Ash strolled through the hallways of the nursing home quietly as he checked the residents. No call lights had been flicked on and everyone had been turned over already. So naturally, Ash headed back to the nurse’s station to find Evangeline chewing on a pen as she did the crossword.

He pulled out the seat across from her and leaned forward on his elbows and said, “I got an A- on my test.”

Evangeline flicked her citrine eyes up to his and smiled. “I’m glad. You’re a quick learner so it was rather easy. And fun.”

Ash leaned back and pressed his elbow on the back of his chair and gave the woman a lazy grin. “It was fun.  _You’re_ fun. Trying to study with Bay is like studying with a fucking android. Sucks my soul out every time.”

Evangeline clicked her tongue and shook her head. “I’m sure it’s not that bad. Is he still giving you the silent treatment or have you managed to get back in his good graces?”

“I’m not sure if I could ever  _be_ in Bay’s good graces,” Ash grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. “The man’s always in a mood and I always manage to put my foot in my mouth. But no, he’s not still giving me the silent treatment. I think we’ve been through too much together for him to stop talking to me.” For too long at least.

He’d never make the mistake of bringing up Bay’s mother to him again. The ghosts and the pure black rage that had been in Bay’s eyes had been enough to nearly stop the heart in his chest. If he hadn’t been him, he was fairly certain Bay would have knocked his teeth down his damned throat. In all honesty, he deserved it.

Evangeline tilted her head as she studied him. He watched her finger curl a red-gold lock of hair around her finger as she said, “You two are close? Yes?”

Ash smiled fondly. “Yeah. I’ve known him since we were eight. I found him at one of the parks and had to get my mom and my aunt to get him to come home with us. He looked like Death. I think he’s gotten it into his head that he has to pay me back with his life for helping him. I wish he’d just forget it. I mean, the guy’s gotten me out of so many binds, we’re well past even.”

Evangeline’s eyes grew bright and she said, “No. Trust me, he will never feel like it’s even. He will see you as the reason he’s still alive because you were the first person to care about what happened to him.”

Ash stared at her and Evangeline splayed her fingers out on the table as she said, “Lysandra found me. She found me cut and bleeding and she gave me a home and I will  _always_ be grateful to her for helping me. If she didn’t pull me off the streets, I’d either be dead or in a gang. I guarantee you, Bay feels the same way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are loved XO


	9. Chapter Nine

Dacia spent the last month nearly in  _bliss_ with Biela. And Evangeline, of course. She had moved her belongings- what little belongings she actually owned- into Biela’s massive bedroom. She had grown accustomed to seeing that golden skin and thick raven hair next to her when she woke up. **  
**

Biela managed to start using her as a pillow. Not that she particularly  _cared_. It was either let the woman use her as a pillow or end up with no pillows at all. She enjoyed the feeling of Biela’s weight on her, enjoyed the feeling of the woman’s heartbeat fluttering against her skin.

The only dent, was Biela had completely frozen out her parents. Not a single word had been uttered to them. Not at her performances, not when they showed up at the apartment. Not when they showed up at the dance studio.

Dacia was jarred awake at the knocking at the door. She turned her head and looked at the blaring clock. It was closing in on nine in the morning. Two hours of sleep.  _Lovely_.

Biela made a small sound in her throat as she snuggled deeper into her. “’Nore it, Cia. You just got home.”

Indeed, she had. The patrons at the club were paying well and Dacia had stomached men touching her while she danced. She had made nearly two grand last night and she planned on taking her girlfriend away once she earned what she needed.

Dacia ran a finger up the woman’s bare back and closed her eyes once more. Silence stretched out and Dacia nearly fell back asleep when another knock sounded through the apartment, even louder.  _God damn it._

Dacia carefully moved the woman over and got up and grabbed one of the silk robes from the back of the plush chair and slipped it on and carefully padded out of the room. The knocking continued, and Dacia snapped, “ _Just a minute._ ”

When she got to the door, Daica straightened her robe and unbolted the door to see a woman with teal blue eyes and golden hair. Her heart lodged in her throat at the familiar face, her face, minus those eyes. “ _Mom_?”

Ianthe Lyall smiled sweetly and Dacia nearly took an involuntarily step back. She forced air into her lungs and folded her arms over her chest as her mother looked her over carefully. “I seem to come at a bad time. Were you asleep?”

_No. I just dress in robes all day for the hell of it._

“Yes,” Dacia said tersely. “I just got home a few hours ago.”

“What’s going on?” A feminine voice said coolly.

Dacia looked over her shoulder to see Biela in her own robe with her arms folded over her chest. Her chin was raised and her glacial eyes read the room carefully. The woman took a step forward, and then another and another until she was right next to her.

Biela slowly looked between them, her face growing colder with each second before she locked eyes on her mother. Those long fingers curled tightly and for a moment, Dacia thought Biela was going to punch her mother. “What the fuck do you want.”

She said it low and controlled, like a jungle cat ready to go for the jugular.

If her mother was in any way worried, it didn’t show on her serene face. “I wanted to take my daughter to lunch. It’s been a while and I think we should catch up.” She flicked those teal eyes to her. “What do you say, Honey? We can go to that one place you always liked. You never were one to turn down their food.”

The words were sweet and warm and yet her face burned as she wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously. She wasn’t thin like Evangeline or muscle like Biela. She had soft curves and stretchmarks and always had an issue with keeping weight off. Luckily, dancing helped with that.

Biela’s eyes widened, and Dacia heard the smack before she even saw it. “Get the  _fuck_ out of my house,” Biela nearly growled at her mother. Ianthe’s head snapped to the side from the sheer force of the blow. “ _No one_  talks to my girlfriend like that. Least of all someone with  _crow’s feet_.”

Her mother looked at her, as if she were waiting for her to stand up for her, as if she were waiting for her to deny being Biela’s girlfriend. Dacia merely rose her chin. “Seven years, mother. I haven’t seen you since he threw me out of the house in the dead of winter. Do you know how hard it is finding a place to live at seventeen when you don’t have any credit or work experience?”

“Dacia,” her mother pled. “That- that was all in the past. I just want to see my daughter.  _Please_.”

Dacia hesitated. She wanted to see her mother. She- she was her mother. She had been the one that went to all her meets and to all her recitals. She had been the one to take her shopping for school and who helped with her homework. She had been the one to chase away the nightmares. “Well-”

But Biela’s fingers curled around her arm and she yanked her back through the living room to the bathroom, cutting off the rest of her words.

“I know that face,” she hissed, as she shut the door. “Don’t do it, Cia. She wants something from you.”

“But what if she doesn’t?” Dacia whispered back. “What- what if-”

Biela folded her arms over her chest. “You’re going to get hurt,” she said firmly. “You’re going to get hurt and _I’ll_  be the bad guy for saying ‘I told you so.’ You should just slam the door in her face and move on.”

“Easy for you to say,” Dacia snapped, tears pricking behind her eyes. “Your parents love you and- and accept you for who you are and you’re acting like a petulant child who got their feelings hurt so you’re giving them the silent treatment.”

Biela flinched back and hurt laced across her cold features. “Fuck you.”

Dacia closed her eyes and sighed, “Bea-”

Her girlfriend whirled around and stalked out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Dacia pressed her face in her hands and sighed raggedly and stopped the tears before they started. Dacia inhaled sharply and recomposed herself before heading walking out of the bathroom.

“-hurt her,” Biela whispered. “I’ll make that slap look like a love tap.”

Her mother visibly swallowed.

Dacia blinked back surprise as she walked up to them. She had expected Biela to go back to bed after that ‘fuck you’. But here she was: In front of her mother, ready to go for the throat if need be. For her.

Fuck she loved Biela.

A wrinkle appeared between her mother’s brows as she studied Biela. Dacia’s heart shuddered as she came up next to them, her mother cocking her head as she said, “Do I know you? You seem, oddly familiar.”

A cold smile snaked up on Biela’s face as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, showing the trail of earrings. “You know my parents. Specifically, my father.  _Rhysand_.”        

Her mother’s paling features had to be a trick of the light. “Ah,” was all she said.

“Mhm,” Biela hummed, turning to her, completely dismissing her mother. “I’m coming.”

The hard, whetted edge to those words left no room for compromise or even arguing. Dacia refrained from shaking her head when Biela whirled around and stalked down to their bedroom and slammed the door. She had wanted her to come anyways.

“Rhysand’s daughter?” Her mother asked, flatly.

Dacia slowly turned to her mother and folded her arms over her chest. “ _Rhysand’s daughter_  gave me a home when I was going to end up homeless.” Again.

Her mother studied her for a long moment and whispered, “Are you sleeping with her for a-”

“ _NO_ ,” she screeched. Her mother winced, and Dacia retried saying that with a decimal that humans could hear. “No. I’ve been living here for over a year. We’ve only been dating a month. God, we did not get along when we met.”

“Good.”

Dacia nodded and said, “I’m going to go get dressed really quick, why don’t you sit at the counter?”

Her mother nodded and slowly came the rest of the way into the apartment. Dacia left her and padded back to her and Biela’s bedroom, just in time to see the woman clasping her bra. She didn’t give her so much as a look as she slipped a black skirt up on her hips.

God.

She was mad.

Dacia bit at her lip. “We’re not going to break up, are we?”

Biela froze mid-pull of pulling on a black lace tank top and flicked her eyes over her shoulder at Dacia. That glacial gaze was utterly unreadable as she pulled the shirt on the rest of the way and flipped that thick black hair out of the collar.

“No.”

Air rushed out at the relief in her heart and Dacia waited for Biela to say something else, but the woman merely went to grab her heels and disappeared out of their bedroom.

“ _Shit_ ,” she whispered.

* * *

-

Ash had gotten a text from Aysel, or rather several texts and a missed phone call. He nearly got kicked out of his biology class from the incessant buzzing of his phone. The second the hour was over, Ash dialed her number and waited impatiently for her to answer.

“Ash!”

“Damn it, Aysel,” Ash hissed. “What the  _hell_ do you want? I was in the middle of Bio.”

“Bay didn’t show up for coffee and he didn’t pick up his phone. He won’t answer the door either.”

“Sonofa _bitch_ ,” Ash groaned, hitting the back of his head against the wall. “I’ll go check on him. Make sure he’s still breathing.”

With that, Aysel hung up.

Ash immediately dialed the Tree’s number and surprisingly, he answered. “What the fuck do you want, Red?”

“Did Bay show up for practice?”

  
A long pause and then, “ _No. I thought he had an appointment with Lysandra. Did he not go?_ ”

“What do you think? Do trees not have brains or is it just too hard for you to connect the dots with such a thin atmosphere?”

“ _Fuck you. I’m only four inches taller than you. Do you want me to head back to the dorm to see if he’s there or-_ ”

“No. I’m close.”

Dex hung up and Ash dialed one last number while he shouldered his way past students.

Evangeline picked up on the third ring and Ash cleared his throat and said, “Hey Angel, I’m gonna be late for the study date.”

“ _Oh?_ ” He smiled at the tinge of worry in her voice. “ _Everything okay?_ ”

Ash jogged across the courtyard and up the male dorm steps. “Yeah, just need to check on something. See you in forty-five?”

“ _Sure thing. I’ll just keep working on my own homework until you get here._ ”

“Thanks babe. I’ll make it up to you.”

Evangeline hummed lightly and said, “ _You can make it up to me by cooking again. Living with Dacia and Biela makes it hard to get homecooked meals unless I make them myself. Make me some food and we’ll be even._ ”

Ash laughed and said, “You got it.”

“ _Bye Ash_.”

“Bye Angel.”

Her laugh filled his ears as he hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket and stalked down the hall. He pressed his ear to the door and listened to the silence in the dorm. He frowned. Bay always had music blasting when he was in the dorm.

He rummaged for the key in his pocket and fiddled it into the lock, swinging the door open widely. The room appeared empty but when he flicked his eyes to Bay’s bed, the telltale lump on it told him Bay hadn’t moved from the damn thing at all.

Ash shut the door and went up to Bay and knelt in front of him. The hardened freckled features had smoothed out by sleep, were almost boyish, almost belonging to an eighteen-year-old and not some war vet. He shook Bay’s shoulder and the man didn’t even stir. He shook harder and

Bay just rolled over.

“Hey asshole,” Ash huffed. “Wake up.”

Bay didn’t move, and Ash shrugged his backpack off and went to grab a bottle of ice water from the fridge when Bay mumbled, “You dump that on my head and I’ll fucking  _kill_ you.”

“Well hello, Sweetheart,” Ash said brightly, bouncing down on the bed next to him. “Are you going to get up this century?”

A long silence stretched out before Bay turned around and squinted at him. “What time’s it?”

“You look like shit.” Bay blinked blankly at him Ash relented, “Come on, man. It’s past noon. You missed practice. And your history class.”

“So?”

Ash stared at him. Baylor Perditus? Not caring about practice or skipping class?

Un-fucking-likely.

He leaned closer and studied the flatness in those eyes and sighed through his nose.

“So,” Ash said, standing up. “You just.. come on, get up and get in the shower. You’ll thank me when you don’t miss your night practice and get kicked off the team.”

Bay’s eyes fluttered shut and he began nodding off again. Alright. Fine. Ash yanked the blanket off the bed, showing Bay in his green pajama bottoms and his black shirt riding up his back, showing the scars disappearing beneath the waistline.

His brother didn’t make a move to cover them, and Ash pushed him onto his back and pulled him up into a sitting position. “Did you take your meds?” Bay blinked up at him and stared at him in silence and Ash muttered, “Jesus Christ, Bay.” He yanked the key from around Bay’s neck and got into the lockbox beneath the bed. He dished the meds out of the bottles and and put them in the man’s hand. “Take them.”

Bay rubbed his eyes and dry swallowed them and Ash pulled him up by his shirt. “You can’t skip your meds. You know how dangerous it is for someone with-”

“I don’t need a  _fucking_ lesson on psychotherapy, Nurse Ashton,” Bay said flatly, shouldering past him. “I just overslept.  _Jesus_.”

Ash threw his hands up. “You’re welcome!”

“You want a cookie?”

Ash rolled his eyes and grabbed the glasses from beneath the bed and placed them in Bay’s hand. “If I leave, are you going to take a shower and go to class?”

Bay ignored him and slowly pulled his shirt off and grabbed a pair of sweats and another black shirt. The fucker was one dye job away from being emo. When he said as much, Bay merely flipped him off and padded to the bathroom.

Progress.

* * *

Bay pressed his forehead against his knees and let out a ragged sigh. His eyes closed, and he nearly fell back asleep. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there in the shower, with near scalding water beating down on his skin, but he managed to get himself standing and washed eventually.

Bay got out of the shower and slowly pulled his shirt and sweats on. He didn’t care enough to put jeans on. He looked in the mirror and frowned at the bags under his eyes. He had been in bed before nine o’clock and yet it looked like he had gotten less than an hour of sleep

.Bay brushed his hair and went back to the dorm to thankfully not see Ash waiting for him. Last thing he needed was the idiot to be monitoring him like some freak who was going to off himself the first chance he got.

His official diagnosis was bipolar disorder with suicidal ideation. It was hard, it didn’t matter how good he was doing, it didn’t matter if he was at the happiest peak in his life. There would always be a voice in the back of his head that whispered to him to just end it all.

Bay grabbed his hoodie and duffle bag and headed out of the door.

* * *

Biela clamped down on her rising temper as much as she possibly could. She curled her fingers into balls and folded her arms tightly as she listened to Dacia and her mother catch up. Dacia could take care of herself.          

She knew that. She knew that the woman could defend herself. But that look that she had seen when she met her. That look of pure frustration at finding a place to sleep.

* * *

_The club’s air was thick, warm and filled with smoke. Biela could feel the music pulse against her skin as she cast her eyes over the space. It wasn’t the first time she had been in a strip club. It most certainly wouldn’t be the last. But she didn’t frequent the often and Lyria wanted to get drinks, so here they were._

_Lyria disappeared to the bar while Biela went to find seats. She cast her eyes over the long walkway and the metal poles and the girls. Biela sat at one of the empty tables while her eyes locked on the woman in the scraps of silvery fabric and golden hair._

_The other girls disappeared as the woman sauntered down the stage, owning it easily. She’d bet anything this woman had been doing this for a while. The woman’s hips rocked fluidly as she curled a leg around the pole and twisted._

_Biela’s heart thrummed as she watched the woman lower to the ground and crawl forward, that golden hair falling over the woman’s shoulder, showing the scope of cleavage barely hidden by her silver top._

_A seductive smile curled up on the woman’s red lips as she curled her finger beneath the man in front of her’s chin. Biela could easily see the grease in his hair from here as he forked up at a ten-dollar bill and slipped it on the stage. The woman’s gaze shuddered, and Biela dropped a fifty down. “I want a dance.”_

_That woman did not want a_ man  _touching her._

_She could do something about that._

_The woman’s eyes snapped to her, searching her face before offering the man a smile. “Sorry sweetie, I go where the money takes me.”_

_The man gave Beila a death glare, but Biela only had eyes for the blonde. The woman slipped off the stage as the song changed and came up to her. Biela looked up into those bright green eyes, heavily lined with kohl._

_“Dance,” she said, just above the music. “I want my money’s worth.”_

_The woman’s eyes flared but she braced the sides of Biela’s chair and began twisting her hips to the music playing. Biela’s hands instinctively went to the woman’s hips as she lowered down into Biela’s lap and began to ground into her._

_A breath loosed from her as she caressed the back of the woman’s thighs. “I’ve never seen you in here,” the woman said, beneath thick lashes, flipping her hair back. “First time?”_

_Heat coiled in Biela’s stomach at the soft southern drawl from the woman’s lips. The woman ground against her and carded her fingers carded through Biela’s hair. “No,” Biela said, a bit breathlessly. “I’ve been to plenty of strip clubs. Just not this one.”_

_The woman hummed and bit at her lips as she circled her hips and feathered her fingers along Biela’s jaw. Biela had to force her hands to stay on the woman’s hips and no where else. The atmosphere wasn’t doing well for her common sense._

_Or her sex drive._

_“Not many girls come in here,” the woman said, ghosting her lips against her ear. “It’s far better dancing for the fairer sex, if I do say so myself. Softer skin and smells nicer.”_

_Biela’s eyes nearly rolled in the back of her head at the heat coiling in her veins, but the cleared throat snapped her out of it. She looked past the woman to see Lyria standing with two amber bottles. The woman in her lap didn’t pause so much from dancing as she said, “Would you like a dance too? Your friend paid a pretty penny.”_

_Lyria’s eyes darkened as she sat in her chair. “No thank you.”_

_The woman turned her attention back to Biela and she continued her dance, her sole focus on Biela’s eyes. She was close enough to see the light spray of freckles on the bridge of the woman’s nose, and the different shades of green in those eyes._

_The song ended, and the woman stopped and leaned forward and brushed the shell of her ear. “Thank you.”_

_Biela watched the woman walk away and Lyria pushed her beer towards her. “I’m gone for_ five  _minutes and you get a lap dance?”_

_Biela took a long drink from the bottle and said, “Why Lyria, you sound jealous.” Lyria’s gaze darkened and Biela sighed, “That creepy guy wanted to get a lap dance from her and I didn’t want her to have to stomach it.”_

_Lyria looked at her nails. “I didn’t take you for one to be a bleeding heart, Bea.”_

_Biela rolled her eyes and they fell back into their usual bickering about dance routines while simultaneously watching the dancers. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed but eventually they got up and went to leave._

_The cold seeped into her skin and Biela slipped her hands in Lyria’s coat pockets and pushed her against the side of the building. “We going to my place or yours tonight?”_

_Lyria looked down at her and before the woman could answer, a voice cut into the night. “What do you mean I can’t stay with you? I’ve paid my rent, I sleep on your_ couch _, Des. Where am I supposed to go? It’s_ February _.”_

_The woman’s voice cracked, and Biela rounded the corner to see the stripper from before. But she had changed into a pair of jeans and a flannel coat. That golden hair had been tied back into a ponytail and all that make up was long gone, leaving nothing but natural beauty._

_She didn’t know her. She didn’t know this woman. But she knew that she needed a place to stay and she had a free room in her condo. And that Evangeline would be okay with her giving the room to someone in need._

_Biela stalked up to her and said, “You’re coming home with me tonight.”_

_The woman blinked blankly at her. Her veins frosted over at the telltale tear streaks on her tanned cheeks. “_ Excuse _me? I’m a stripper. Not a prostitute. One dance does not give you the right to have sex with me.”_

_Biela held up a hand. “Okay, first, I have a girlfriend. Second, that lap dance was subpar at_ best _._ _And third, I have a spare room and you need a bed.”_

_The woman stepped up to her and cast those startling green eyes down at her. She was easily six inches taller than her. “Sweetie,” she said in almost a purr. “I know what turned on looks like. I make my living based on it.”_

_Biela bristled. “Do you want a bed or not?”_

_The woman gave her a long look and finally relented, “I’m Dacia.”_

_“Biela.”_

* * *

Beila pushed the memory away as she took a bite of her salad. Dacia’s fingers thrummed

Beila’s thigh as she talked to her mother.  Ianthe picked at her food as she looked over Dacia’s clothes. “There’s a sale going on downtown. I saw this cute skirt and thought of you. I’m sure it’s in your size.”

Dacia didn’t so much as blink. “I wear enough skirts when I work. I prefer my ripped jeans and sneakers, mother. You know this.”

Biela swallowed her pleased hum at the level of ice in her girlfriend’s voice. Ianthe didn’t so much as blink. “You used to enjoy wearing dresses and skirts. What changed?”

“I became a lesbian,” Dacia said flatly.

Biela choked on her food and she coughed as Dacia cast her a worried glance. She held up a hand and croaked, “Jesus  _Christ_ , Dacia.”

Dacia smiled at her and then turned back to her mother. “You made me be in pageant after pageant, Mother. I’ve had enough of dresses. Biela wears plenty of skirts for the both of us,” Dacia said lightly, brushing her thumb on Biela’s thigh.

Well. That explained why Dacia could work that damned stage. She was used to putting on a show.

Biela leveled a look with Ianthe, but the woman smiled mildly and continued picking at her food. “I thought you liked the pageants? First place at every event.” Dacia’s nails began digging into Biela’s thigh, but not a flicker showed in her emerald eyes. Ianthe merely shook her head and said, “Your father’s company is doing remarkably well. He’s even working to close a merger with one of his top buyers.”

“Oh?” Dacia asked mildly.

“Yes,” she agreed. “He just needs to secure some bonds to complete the deal.”

Dacia’s gaze sharpened. “Is that so,” she clipped out, her nails digging moons into Biela’s thigh. “And would those bonds happen to be the ones that were placed in my name?”

Biela shook her head. It was an effort to keep her rutting mouth shut as Ianthe said, “You would be paid. With twenty percent interest. You could use that money to pay off your loans or get a car. Or even a down payment on a condo.”

Dacia dropped her head into her hands and was quiet for a long moment before laughing sharply and carding her fingers through her hair. “Are you fucking  _kidding me_?” She snarled, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. “You threw me out of the house for kissing a girl. You threw your seventeen-year-old  _only child_  out in the  _winter_ and haven’t said a damned word to me in over _seven years_. You left me with nothing and now you want something from me.”

“Dacia,” Ianthe said calmly. “Mind your head.”

Biela swallowed her growl and Dacia straightened. “Fuck. You.” A cold smile snaked on her girlfriend’s lips. “How does it feel,” she said, her words dripping with honeyed venom. “To need something from your dyke of a daughter, only for her to throw  _you_ out into the cold.”

Biela burst out laughing at the look on Ianthe’s face. “Thirty percent. Forty.”

Dacia sighed. “Burn in hell,” she said sweetly. Dacia swung her eyes to her. “Love, we’re leaving.”

* * *

Dacia walked out of the restaurant with her chin raised and without a second look back at her mother. She had tried. She had tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and to show her that she still loved her.

But there was a line.

There was a line and she had had it. This was the final straw that had Dacia washing her hands of her parents once and for all and the look on her girlfriend’s face, the look of such pride, it made all of this worth it.

Biela laced their fingers and they got into the car. Dacia managed to drive three blocks out of town when Biela told her to pull over. The very second she had the car in park, Biela undid her seatbelt and climbed over the divider and settled in her lap.

Those slender hands braced her face and the woman dipped her head and kissed her deeply. Dacia’s own hands slipped up beneath Biela’s skirt and she ran her hands over the woman’s soft thighs as Biela’s mouth opened above hers.

Her girlfriend ground against her, eliciting a moan from them both as she pulled away from Dacia’s lips. “I have never been so proud of you,” Biela murmured, brushing her thumb over

Dacia’s bottom lip. “You deserve so much better than them.”

“You’re right,” Dacia said, curling her fingers in the hem of the woman’s shirt and pulling it over her head. “I deserve you.”

Biela gave her a wicked smile, those glacial eyes lighting up as Dacia slipped a hand back to unhook the woman’s bra. “And how do you want me?”

Dacia grinned and slipped the black straps down Biela’s shoulders. “For starters? Naked.”

* * *

_Sammi straightened her shirt and stalked down the hallway of the boy dormitory. She grinned at a few of the boys whose eyes were following her blatantly as she went to knock on Dex’s door. She could hear the television through the door. And cussing._

_It paused after a few seconds and she heard someone coming up to the door. The door opened to see Dex standing there, shirtless, with his hair hanging loose. He did not have the right to look that damned fine._

_Those black eyes skimmed her body and he grinned. “Sammi.”_

_“Tree,” she said in response, pushing past him. “You ready to learn or must you waste my time with mediocre video games?”_

_Dex huffed and went back to the couch and grabbed the controller. “I’m almost done. It’s the final level.”_

_Sammi rested her palms on the back of the couch and squinted at the screen. “Rainbow Road?” She scoffed. “Easy.”_

_“It’s on the hardest setting,” Dex shot back, starting the game. “That big mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days, Samaentha.”_

_Sammi rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she watched him play. He ran his vehicle off the road twice before Sammi sighed painfully and climbed over the couch and plucked the controller from his broad hands. “_ Pathetic _. And you call yourself a gamer. Let me show you how it’s done, Declan.”_

_His glare pinned on her as she hit play. The music started, and she leaned forward and focused her attention on the game. She easily kept away from the edges and knocked the other cars over as she rounded the corners._

_She slammed on the brakes as a blue shell came whizzing her way. She let out a breath as the shell went past her and knocked Mario and Luigi off course. She picked up momentum and whispered, “see_ ya _,” as she sped right past them and through the finish line._

_The car slowed to the stop as Baby DK did a flip. The results came up on the screen and she hit the pause button and sat the controller on the coffee table and smiled at Dex and said “_ C'est comme ça que c'est fait! _”_

_Dex stared at her with wide black eyes and she sighed, “Idiot, what I said was-”_

_“I don’t care,” he said roughly, hooking an arm around her waist and yanking her over and pulling her into a crushing kiss._

_Sammi’s entire body froze and Dex pulled back and looked down at her. His gaze bore into hers and she wasn’t sure if he were breathing or not. Her own chest heaved, and she hooked her arms around his neck and yanked him down to her lips._

_A low moan was in the bottom of Dex’s throat as she pushed into his mouth and pushed him back into the couch and climbed atop of him and straddled his hips. Those corded arms wrapped around her waist as she ground against the growing erection straining his sweats._

_He fisted her hair and nearly yanked on it as she bit his lip. Her nails dug into the base of his neck as he tore his lips away from her and said breathlessly, “You finally going to show me those claws, Samaentha?”_

_“Shut_ up _,” she said hoarsely as she yanked his lips back down to hers._

_Dex’s hand slipped up her thigh to the wetness soaking her panties. She groaned into his mouth as his thumb brushed the fabric, somehow snapping the level of control the hockey player was barely holding. Dex grabbed her hips and lifted and carried her to the table._

_He shoved off the books with loud thuds as he pushed her flat against the smooth wood and kissed her harshly, his fingers digging into her thighs and erection pressing against her lower abdomen. Sammi arched her back into the friction, eliciting a low groan from Dex’s throat._

_Dex’s calloused fingers hiked up her skirt as she pushed at the hem of his sweatpants, trying vainly to free his cock. Fucking drawstring._

_Dex’s breath shuddered as he traced his thumb over what were surely drenched panties._

_“Jesus,” he said hoarsely, tearing his lips from hers. “I need a yes, Sammi.”_

_The words were a dull roar in her ears as she yanked at the drawstring. Dex wrapped his hand around her wrist and pinned it back to the table. “_ Samaentha _. I need a_ fucking yes _.”_

_Sammi growled then blinked as the words began to sink into her head. Was… was he really asking for consent? Not a single boy had ever stopped and done such a thing. They were far too interested in getting off. Even her useless ex, Josh._

_“Yes,” she rushed out. “_ Yes _. Just fucking fuck me you damned tree.”_

_Dex gave her a near feral grin as he easily pulled at the string at his hips and freed his erection. Jesus fuck, Sammi thought distantly as she eyed him stroke himself once, then twice as he pushed her panties to the side and buried himself inside._

_“Fuuck,” Dex groaned, giving an untried thrust._

_She whimpered at the utter fullness of the man and Dex groaned as he pulled her top down. His eyes went to her peaked breasts and they darkened in desire. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples and wetted his lips as he took her breast into his mouth._

_Good_ God _._

_Sammi’s head fell back and she closed her eyes at the stimulation rushing through her. She fisted his damp hair and he brushed his teeth on her overly sensitive breast._

_The table slammed backwards against the wall with each thrust. Dex’s fingers dug into the flesh of her thigh and Sammi drug her nails up his sculpted back._

_“_ Fuck _,” he groaned, as her nails sunk deeper._

_Dex’s corded arm wrapped around her waist as her legs hooked around his hips, pulling him deeper inside her. “_ Yess _,” she nearly hissed._

_Heat blazed through her veins at the pressure building between her thighs. Every thought blanked in her head at the utter need to get off. Sammi slipped her hand between them and cried out as she found the swollen clit, barreling the orgasm out of her._

_Everything went on overdrive as Dex curled his arm behind her and pulled her up to bite her neck. Sammi’s skin was electric at his scraping teeth her throat and she cried out as he slammed into her once more._

_Dex looked down at her with black eyes, his even blacker damp hair falling around his face like an unholy halo as he grinned savagely. She ran her fingers through those damp strands and pulled his lips down to hers. She kissed him deeply, licking and biting at his abused lips._

_Dex’s head fell on her shoulder and he hissed as her nails scrapped up his back. But that hissing turned into groaning as her walls tightened around him, as she came apart as he hit just there. Sammi smothered her cries by sinking her teeth into his shoulder._

_Dex grabbed the back of her thighs and he brushed her throat with his teeth, lighting her every neuron with lightning. Her body wound tighter and tighter with each scrape of his teeth, every thrust of his cock, every brush of his fingers._

_Dex slammed into her and the table slammed backwards into the wall, startling a laugh out of her._

_Hopefully no one was in the dorm next to his._

_Dex laughed breathlessly against her skin and pushed her back flesh against the table, running his broad hand down her side. The wood beneath her was ice against her burning back, was so deliciously contrasting against the electricity in her veins._

_Dex braced a hand to the wall as he kissed her harshly, as he pistoned his hips and thrusted his cock deeper into her. She groaned at his teeth sinking into her flesh, as his thrusts grew erratic._

_His breath against her hot skin rocketed shivers through her. Her walls tightened instinctively and Dex groaned against her neck, his fingers digging deeper into her thigh, most definitely leaving bruises. “Fuck,” he panted. “Fucking hell.”_

_He thrusted deeply and nearly sobbed into her neck as he shattered inside of her. Dex nearly collapsed on top of her as he propped himself up on his forearm and pressed his forehead against her shoulder._

_Sammi forced her fingers to release their death grip of his damp hair as she caught her breath. Her brain was static, barely forming any coherent thought as her blood returned to her brain._

_Sammi unhooked her legs from Dex’s hips as he slowly straightened and looked down over her._

_She looked up at his heaving light brown chest, glistening in the dorm room light, and then to those dark, dark eyes. “That,” she panted, propping up on her elbows, “was fucking_ intense _.”_

_A grin cracked up on his lips as his eyes slipped down to her thigh and then faltered. She looked down to see the thumb bruise already darkening on her skin. She snorted and said, “You’re lucky my sister doesn’t ask where my bruises come from.”_

_Dex laughed and pulled his sweats back up his hips and then stopped. “Are you on birth control?” He asked in a dead calm, his attention snapped on her._

_Sammi merely sat up and pulled her top back up. “Do you really think I’d let you do that if I weren’t on birth control?” She asked lightly, arching a brow._

_Relief flickered in his eyes as he braced his palms on the desk and dipped his head inches from hers. “Maybe you just want a baby sapling of your own, Samaentha Blackbeak.” He gave her a smug grin. “I have fantastic genetics.”_

_Sammi pushed his chest back and rolled her eyes as she hopped down from the table. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her from their wobbling, but she managed to gain her composer as she straightened her skirt. “As if, Declan. Your poor mother,” she shuddered. “I bet she never looked the same again when she pushed out_ you _.”_

_Dex scoffed and went to sit on the couch. He dropped his head back and closed his eyes while she went to rummage in her purse for another pair of panties. She switched out of them and threw the drenched ones away._

_When she came back, there was a faint smile on Dex’s lips. She went to dig the textbooks out of her bag when he said, “I want to do that again.”_

_She looked over her shoulder at him and then pointedly between his legs. “I don’t think you can get it up_ that  _fast, Declan.”_

_Hie eye roll was nearly audible. “No, Samaentha. That’s not what I meant. I meant some other time. Like, regularly. Maybe.”_

_She turned around to face him. “I do_ not  _do boyfriends,” she said coolly. He looked at her and she folded her arms. “_ Especially  _hockey players.”_

_Dex arched a brow. “Christ Sammi. I didn’t ask for your hand in marriage. I just want to have sex with you.” He gave her a lazy grin. “I’d hate to deprive you from all this.”_

_Sammi rolled her eyes and shook her head. “So you mean fuck buddies, is that it?”_

_“Yes,” he agreed. “That is if you’re willing.”_

_Sammi tilted her head and looked him over. “Yeah, okay.” he blinked, surprised that she’d actually say yes. “But the second any feelings get involved, we’re stopping. And,” she added. “You get_ anything  _lower than a B+ on your homework and tests, you can say bye-bye to this little arrangement._ Avons-nous un accord _?”_

_He groaned but his eyes glittered. “_ Oui _.”_

_Sammi smiled smugly. “Good. Let’s get started on your homework, shall we? You have a test tomorrow.”_

* * *

Sammi pushed away the memory of that first time and bit her pencil as she listened to Dex go over the list of vocabulary words. His test scores had gone up remarkably well, thanks to their little arrangement.

“No, no,” she shook her head. “You’re not saying that right. Remember, there are silent letters.” She repeated the phrase, slowly, in French and reverted back to English and said, “Now say it again. Correctly this time.”

Dex flared his nostrils and so very slowly repeated the words. She nodded encouragingly and said, “Very good. Now normally.”

Dex did as asked and Sammy beamed. “Excellent.”

* * *

Connie walked out of the building to find Bay standing by one of the poles with his arms crossed and a frown on his lips. She padded up to him and they walked in silence for a bit before he asked, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Bay looked up at her with flat eyes and said, “I need a date to a banquet thing next week. It’s semiformal, so you’d need a dress or something. Whatever you girls wear to dances would work, I think.”

“Bay,” she started, her face warming. He looked at her silently and she bit her lip. “I don’t- I don’t like you like that.”

Bay laughed humorlessly and he shook his head. “I don’t like you like that either but apparently it’s frowned upon to take your sister. So I’d rather you come.”

Connie’s stomach tightened. There would be so many people at the banquet. So many people she didn’t know. She knew Bay and she knew Dex… kind of. But-

“Bay, I don’t know… there’s just  _so_ many people-”

Bay’s face didn’t move as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sammi will be there.”

She blinked. “Really? If- if she’s going.. I guess… I guess, yeah,” she nodded. “I’ll go. I’ll be your date.”

Bay’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you, Connie.”

* * *

A few hours later, Bay walked down the street towards the used bookstore. He pulled out his phone and called Dex. His teammate answered on the third ring and said, “ _Bay? Where have you been? Practice is in a few hours. Are you coming?_ ”

“I need you to do something for me.”

A long silence and then, “ _Like what?_ ”

“I need you to take Samaentha Blackbeak to the banquet next week.”

“ _Um,_ no _. I already got a date_.”

“So cancel it,” Bay snapped, barely keeping the desperation out of his voice. “Deanna’s going, so is Connie. Sammi would get upset if she were the only one that didn’t get to come.”

Dex scoffed and Bay pushed, “Just take her so I can take Connie.”

“ _A) I have a date already and B) it’d be weird if I took Sammi. Why don’t you just take someone else? You’re good looking enough, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one. You might even get lucky._ ”

Bay closed his eyes. “Dex. Please.”

Dex was quiet for a long moment. “ _Yeah, alright. But you owe me_.”

Bay stopped in his tracks. “What  _for_?” he demanded. “You’re getting laid one way or another and it’s not like Sammi’s someone you can’t stand. Stop being a prick.”

Dex snorted. “ _Pot meet kettle. Just make sure Ash isn’t at the dorm after the banquet and we’ll call it even._ ”

“Fine,” Bay sighed.

“ _Are you going to bother showing up for practice? Or do I need to cover for you?_ ”

Bay could hear the unspoken ‘ _again_ ’ in his teammate’s voice. He was so tempted. He was  _so_ tempted to just say fuck it and not show up to practice. He didn’t care and what was the point. But he made a promise. He gave his word to have his team’s back.

“No. I’ll be there.”

And with that, he hung up and continued walking.

He barely felt the heat or heard the sounds of the city as he walked. He had been here before, to this city, to this street. Back when he was homeless and wanted to find a place to get warm. It hadn’t changed, the buildings or the noises.

Bay found his way to the bookstore and looked the place over before going inside. He heard a soft ding as he entered. The smell of old books and dust filled his nose and a sense of homeness settled in his bones.

Several stacks were several feet high, nearly to the ceiling. Several books filled them and Bay found himself thumbing through a few of them before eyeing around for the exits. There was the main door and two others and the main store was in sections.

He felt the eyes of the woman at the front counter following him through the store. She was a small wrinkled thing, someone actually smaller than him. Bay ignored her and went to the worn chair in the corner and dropped the duffle onto the floor beside it.

Bay plucked a nearby book from the table and settled into the chair and began to read. He barely got any read in the half hour he was there, but he mostly just stared off into space.

But when the elderly woman from the counter came over, Bay shut the novel and looked at her when she gave him a warm smile. “I haven’t seen your face in well over ten years. I had been so worried something happened to you.”

Heat seared Bay’s ears and he gave her a pained smile. “Hello Edith.”

Surprise flickered across Edith’s withered face. “So he speaks! What are you doing back here after all these years?”

Bay shrugged. “I go to school at the University.”

Edith nodded and said, “I always knew you were a bright boy.” Bay bit at his lip and willed the heat to not rise in his face as Edith tilted her head. “Would you like a job?”

* * *

Adrien leaned against the wall as he watched the last of his players start towards the stadium. He spied Bay crossing the parking lot, going far too slow for his taste. He would have whistled, to tell him to hurry the hell up, but the player had headphones on and he was looking down at the ground.

Adrien sighed through his nose and crushed his cigarette beneath his boot and jogged across the pavement to him. Bay lifted his head and studied him blankly before pulling down his headphones. ‘ _What_.”

Adrien folded his arms over his chest. “Where  _were_ you.” Bay blinked at nim and Adrien said, “We gave you a chance, we over looked all those fights you were in, because we saw potential in you. You could make it to a national team, at least you would if you didn’t keep blowing off practice.”

Bay sighed and went to side step him, but Adrien blocked him. “I’m fucking talking to you,” Adrien snapped.

Bay’s gaze darkened and his lips thinned. “If you don’t get out of my way,” Bay said in a dead calm, adjusting the strap of his duffle bag, “We’re going to end up in one of those fights you liked to overlook. I’m not in the fucking mood.”

Adrien closed his eyes and counted to ten. And then he counted again and turned around and headed back to the stadium and back to the locker rooms where his players were getting ready.

He didn’t have the patience to deal with Bay right now. He had a game and banquet to prepare.

* * *

That night at nine, Ash came back to the dorm to find Bay passed out in bed. He didn’t bother taking off his shoes as he dropped his bag on his bed and grabbed his bio textbook and crawled in next to his brother.

Bay faced him, instinctively, putting his back to the wall. Even since they were little, Bay hadn’t ever put his back to him. He didn’t know whether or not to be insulted that the man wouldn’t do so, but in the grand scheme of things, he supposed it didn’t matter.

Ash opened his book and began his reading. He nearly got completely finished with his chapter when Dex came in. The man locked eyes on Bay’s sleeping form and rose his brows. Ash just shook his head and Dex nodded and sat on his bed.

Dex pulled out what appeared to be his French textbook, but his dark eyes were on Bay. “Should we get Aysel? He’s been sleeping an awful lot.”

“ _No_ ,” Ash said immediately. “She does  _not_ handle Bay being depressed well. Had a meltdown last time and it took forever to get her to calm down.”

Dex grimaced. “Do I want to know?” Ash shook his head and Dex leaned back. “Everyone gets depressed, though. It’s a part of life. No one is perky twenty-four seven. It’s just not how life is.”

Ash shook his head. “Not like this. Bay’s depression is more… neurological. His brain doesn’t develop the chemicals needed to maintain what neurotypical people have. The meds he has, they’re for stabilizing his moods.”

“You think this is bad?” Ash asked. “You should have seen him  _before_ the meds. The depression is awful but the mania is its own level of Hell. He hits those highs and he’s invincible. He’ll pick fights with anyone, he’ll never sleep and he’ll party. Once he was awake for three days in a row.”

“Adrien said he’d been in a lot of fights.”

Ash snorted. “Bay went from being this scrawny kid to being one of the strongest in our school. I guess he got tired of people picking on him and decided to punch back. But during those manic episodes, his temper swings so rapidly.” Ash shuddered. “He’s unpredictable.”

Dex shifted his eyes to Bay’s sleeping form thoughtfully. Ash wondered what the Giant was thinking. Probably wondering what his and Bay’s friendship would have been like before Bay had been committed.

He had been told that Bay had a nervous breakdown and that was why he had been committed. But Bay had been in the hospital for a number of days before being being transferred to a psych hospital. Ash knew they were lying to him.

“Please tell me he got one hit in beforehand,” Dex said lightly, looking back at him. “You’re too annoying for Bay to not hit. At  _least_ once.”

“Ha, ha,” Ash deadpanned. “No. He did not.”

Dex grinned and they fell back into their usual bickering. “Come  _on_ , you have someone who barely goes up to your shoulder getting in front of you and danger. Are you that useless, that you can’t defend yourself, Red?”

“ _Fuck_ you, Giant,” Ash snapped. “I can defend myself just fine. I box. Bay just has this,” Ash tried finding the right words, “this protective psychosis. And a death wish.”

Bay stirred at his sudden sharpened tone and Ash’s mouth snapped shut as Bay palmed his eyes and slowly sat up and smacked the back of Ash’s head. “Would it kill you to ever  _shut up_.” Dex burst out laughing and Bay reached over,  grabbing his glasses and slipping out of bed. “Living with you two is a  _damned_ nightmare.”

“It’s like, Ten thirty,” Dex said, throwing his pillow at Bay. “Only eight year olds and you are asleep.”

Bay easily caught the pillow and just dropped it on the floor. “I’m going out. When I get back, either have each other killed or be asleep or gone. I don’t want to hear you bickering like an old married couple.”

Ash scoffed and slammed his book shut. “I’m  _offended_. Like I would ever marry him.” Bay slowly turned to look at him, his face completely neutral as he pulled his shoes on.

“And why is  _that_?” Dex asked sharply. “Because I’m a guy?”

Ash grimaced and looked at him. Dex laced his fingers behind his head and rose his brows. “Fuck no. Because we’d never make it to our first year anniversary. You’d be dead and I’d be in prison. It’s a waste of money.”

Dex snorted and Ash turned to look at Bay, just in time to see Bay walk out of the dorm. Ash tipped his head back and sighed. “If I were ever going to marry a guy, it sure as fuck would  _not_ be  _you_.”

* * *

Bay barely took in any of the night life going on around him. The horns, the people laughing in the street. The expansion of the clear night sky with bright stars that usually gave him peace. He ignored all of it and kept walking until a small coffeehouse caught his attention.

It wasn’t much to look at: pale bricks and a black and off white, dimly lit sign saying ‘ _Cafe_ ’.

Something possessed him to go inside. He cast a look around at the couples sitting at the tables, huddled together, whispering, while a woman stood up on stage singing. Bay went up to the barista and ordered a coffee.

The girl gave him one look while she filled his order and said, “I haven’t seen you around here.”

“What gave it away,” he deadpanned.

She laughed quietly and pushed his drink forward. “I think I would remember your scowling face. Have a nice night.”

Bay dipped his head in thanks and took his coffee to an empty table. He settled into his seat and went to take a drink when he spied the black sharpie on the cup and seven digits in elegant script.

Bay forced himself to not let heat rise in his face or look back at the barista while he wiped the numbers away with his thumb and took a drink from the cup.

The girl finished her song and the people began to clap quietly. The girl flashed them all a bright smile and dipped her head in a bow as she padded off the stage. Bay had his coffee to his lips when a familiar man walked up on the stage.

He froze mid drink as he took in the dark jeans, leather boots and the black shirt rolled up on those tattooed golden brown forearms. Bay’s eyes went to the heavily ringed hand with the several leather bracelets and then up to those dark as night eyes.

Nate.

Shit.  _Shit_.

Why did he have to be so damned hot.

This was unfair.

Nate brought up a stool and sat on it with a guitar in front of a microphone. Nate leaned forward and those dark eyes shifted to him as that even darker hair spilled over his shoulder. Nate’s smile widened and his lip ring glinted in the stage light as he said, “I’m Nate.”

Bay got the very distinct impression Nate was introducing himself to  _him_.

He felt his face begin to warm as Nate began plucking the guitar strings and sing. The man’s voice was light and melodic and Bay’s blood began to thrum. He couldn’t take his eyes off Nate and Nate… he had his eyes locked on  _him_.

Bay barely sensed himself putting his coffee cup down and leaning forward. The terrible numbness he had felt for the last two days was beginning to melt away, at least a little, the more Nate looked at him like that.

No….  _No_. He was imagining it. Why would someone like Nate have any kind of interest in him at all? Nate was far too pretty to be interested in him. But.. but that look that Nate was giving him, that sensual look as he sang, Bay wanted to kiss him.

He wanted to kiss him and it scared the everloving fuck out of him.

But he couldn’t look away.

He listened to Nate sing his song, he watched those perfect lips form words and he felt himself be enthralled in the entire spectacle in front of him. He distantly thought about how Ash would go on and on about girls he found pretty or girls he wanted to date or fuck and Bay had been so uninterested in those girls.

But looking at Nate, looking at those dark eyes and that dark hair and tattoos, Bay suddenly had crystal understanding of Ash’s fascination.

His heart wasn’t listening to his brain, neither were his feet. He needed to go, he needed to leave before he ended up going up on that stage and kissing him, damn all the people in this place.

Bay almost felt stripped bare beneath those dark eyes. Nate was watching him so intensely, as if he were the only person in the room with him, as if he were singing to him. Bay’s mouth went dry as Nate bit at his lip right as he strummed through an instrumental verse.

His traitorous mind imagined those lips on his, on him, around him. The more he tried pushing those thoughts away, the more they hit him back. Bay let out a slow trembling breath and took a drink of his coffee, trying to hide the blush rising up on his face the best he could.

Nate was fucking grinning like a jungle cat now.

The man started singing again and Bay forgot about school, about hockey, about everything.But when Nate finished the song, when he stood and took a bow and padded backstage to put his guitar away, Bay pulled out of his seat and left the coffee house as fast as he could.

Before he outed himself in front of everyone.

* * *

Nate put his guitar away as quickly as he could and went back out to the main coffeehouse. He went straight for the table he had seen Baylor at but his heart dropped when he saw the chair empty.

Maybe he had been too forward.

Or maybe he had read the whole situation wrong.

Nate sighed deeply and went to the bar and sat at the counter. Alexia came and gave him his usual coffee drink and a pitying smile. “Sooo,” she began, “I feel dumb.”

“And why is that?”

“That pretty blonde you were eyefucking,” she said. Nate slowly rose his brows and she rested her chin on her palm. “I may or may not have slipped him my number but he wiped it off the cup the second he saw it. And then you came up on that stage and that boy was ready to jump your bones the second he saw you. Obviously my Gaydar isn’t as advanced as yours.”

Nate snorted and patted her shoulder. “Sorry to say it, but about ninety percent of the men who come into this place, they’re all  _gay_.”

* * *

The next morning, Bay was up at his regular time and had gotten dressed quickly. Ash’s phone went off for the fifth time and Bay grabbed a bottle of ice water and said, “One warning Ash, get your ass up or you get drenched.”

Ash slowly opened his eyes and blinked blearily up at him. “Come on,” he whined. “I didn’t dump water on  _your_ head.”

Bay merely lifted his brows. “You know better. Get up and get dressed. I’m not warning you again.”

Ash grumbled and slowly got up. “What time did you get in last night? I was in bed at two and you still weren’t here.”

Bay sucked on a tooth and went about getting the rest of the way ready. He pulled his meds out and took them while Ash got up and went to change. “I walked around for a bit, got some air. It was better than listening to you and Dex bicker all the fucking time.”

“Hmph,” Ash scoffed, as he pulled his shirt over his head, showing the plane of Ash’s sculpted back and the light spray of freckles that lined his shoulders. “Did you see anything interesting, last night?”

Nate. He saw Nate.

“Not particularly,” Bay lied. ‘Come on, Aysel is waiting for us.”

Ash finished readying and they headed out to the coffeehouse across campus. Bay prayed Nate wasn’t working, he prayed he had the morning off. But when he and Ash headed back to Aysel’s table, there was Nate, leaning on his palms, and grinning at his sister.

Bay felt his face start to warm when Nate slowly turned his head and looked up at him beneath those long ebony lashes. Nate gave him an indolent look over and slowly grinned as he righted himself. “I’m assuming you and the ginger want an order?”

Ash slipped in the booth next to Artemis and said, “Orange mango smoothie and he’ll have-”

Nate cut him off and said, “Oh, I know what he likes.”

Ash arched his brows and Artemis covered her mouth, those gold rimmed eyes glittering as Aysel looked between Nate and him thoughtfully. Bay cleared his throat, vainly ignoring the heat in his ears, and forced himself to look at Ash. “Scoot over.”

Bay slipped in the booth beside his brother and looked up at Nate, unflinchingly. He tried ignoring how close Nate was to him, tried ignoring the thought of what it would be like to kiss him, tried ignoring what Nate could do with that mouth. “My usual, please.”

Nate’s gaze was filled with a near primal amusement as he dipped his head and said, “Right away.”

Bay forced himself to not watch Nate walk away. Instead he leaned back against the booth and watched Artemis lean over and watch Nate leave. “Damn,” she muttered, shaking her head. “That  _ass_.”

Ash squinted at him. “Was he  _flirting_ with you?”

Bay shrugged and didn’t look at him as he pulled out his phone. “I can’t help when people find me attractive, Ashton. I’m surprised you even noticed, considering how vain you are.”

His brother made a noise in the back of this throat and he and Artemis began talking. Whatever they were talking about was nothing but a dull roar in his ears as he thought about the night before and soon enough, Nate was back.

Bay looked up at the man as he slipped Aysel her drink, Artemis her drink, and Ash his drink, before carefully placing Bay’s in his hand. Nate gave him a lingering look as he flicked his eyes to the drink and went back to the counter.

Bay lowered his gaze to find seven numbers in small script on the side of the cup, along with the words ‘ _call me_ ’ beneath the digits. He was so tempted to wipe away the numbers and forget about them, but Ash was enthralled in his conversation with Artemis and Aysel.

Bay carefully pulled up his contacts and put in the numbers under the contact ‘N’, and wiped the ink from the cup and brought it up to his lips.

* * *

A week later, Aysel had drug Bay to a halloween party at the same place where the last dorm game had taken place. The place was packed and Bay watched Aysel pull Artemis with her to dance. Bay could see Ash leaning at the counter, talking to Evangeline with a half lazy smile on his face.

Bay rolled his eyes and stayed by the wall, sipping beer from a red cup as he watched the party going on around him. Aysel had dressed up as a faerie: with bright blue wings that matched her bright blue hair. She even had on a tiara with blue gemstones.

Ash had dressed up as some kind of prince. He had on a deep red tunic with gold stitching and a gold crown, with his fire-red hair tied back into a ponytail. The ass  _actually_ looked regal.

Artemis had dressed as a leopard. Her light brown skin was painted over with white paint and black dots. Her blue rimmed eyes were contacted with green lenses.

But Bay, he had elected no costume. He wore dark jeans and a black hoodie and converse sneakers. He hadn’t worn a costume in years and he wasn’t planning on starting now.

The music was loud and the condo was swelling with people. He flicked his eyes over the place, taking note of Evangeline’s roommates- Dacia and Biela- sitting on the couch.

Dacia, from what he could tell, was some kind of wolf, with wolf ears and face paint of some kind while Biela was dressed in gauzy, Arabian nights style clothes, and was sitting on Dacia’s lap, laughing and kissing her.

Bay drug his eyes from them and went to the door as it opened, showing Nate coming in. Nate was in some kind of leather pants and a thick gold necklace and no shirt. Bay’s mouth went dry as he looked at the expansion of tattoos going across the man’s toned chest and down those toned arms. Golden cuffs were on his wrists and biceps.

Nate smiled the way the devil would upon entering Hell, bright and unrestrained as he flicked his khol lined eyes over the party and landing on him. That bright smile widened even more.

He should move. He should  _definitely_ move. He couldn’t tell if his head was telling him to move towards Nate or to turn around and leave. His phone was a weight in his pocket. Those seven numbers rattling off in his head, the same seven numbers he had spent the last week looking at and chickening out of calling. Or texting.

Nate shouldered his way through the party and came up to Bay. Bay blinked up at him as Nate leaned on an arm and looked him over beneath those dark lashes. “You know this is a  _Halloween_ party, yeah? With costumes and everything?”

“And what are you supposed to be?” Bay asked, calmly. “Do you not own a shirt?”

Nate leaned forward and dipped his head inches from his. “Do I make you nervous, Baylor.”

Bay stiffened and took a gulp from his drink.  “It’s Bay. Not Baylor.”

Even if he liked how it sounded from him.

Confusion flickered in Nate’s eyes and he corrected, “Sorry. Dex told me your name was Baylor.” Bay merely shrugged and Nate smiled and said, “No costume?”

Bay rose his brows and looked down at his clothes. “I’m a shadow,” he said lamely.

Nate snorted and said, “No. No that won’t do.” Nate shouldered his way over to a blonde girl with bright pink bunny ears. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the girl money and she handed over her bunny ears.

_Oh no._

Nate came back and slipped the bunny ears on him. Bay glowered up at him as Nate pulled a sharpie from his pocket and asked, “May I?”

Bay sighed through his nose and he ground out, “ _Yes_.”

He wrinkled his nose as Nate drew lines on his cheeks and drew a dot on his nose. “Perfect,” he beamed.

“You never told me what you were,” Bay said, taking another drink, trying his damned hardest to not let blush rise as Nate slipped the sharpie in Bay’s pocket.

“I’m Lestat,” he said grandly, giving him a mock bow. “From  _Queen of the Damned._ ”

“A vampire then,” Bay said, folding his arms.

“Yes,” Nate agreed, grinning widely, showing his fangs. “Care to offer up a vein.”

Bay snorted. “You wish.”

Surprise glittered in Nate’s eyes as he leaned on his forearm and dipped his head. “Yes. I do.” Bay watched that dark hair slip over Nate’s bare shoulders and he felt his face warm. Damn him. “But you already know that, don’t you.”

Bay lifted his eyes up to his and Nate’s smile was nothing short of wicked. But it was still soft and kind at the same time. Bay was so far out of his depth. He didn’t know how to handle someone’s pure undivided attention on him. Especially a cute boy.

But suddenly Aysel bounced up to them and she cast her blue grey eyes between them carefully, before turning to Nate. “You came.”

Bay stared at his sister. She invited him.

He didn’t know if he wanted to kiss her or kill her.

Nate drug his eyes from her, back to Bay. “You promised me pretty boys,” Nate said lightly. “Of course I came.”

Bay sucked in his bottom lip and forced himself to not look at Nate. He took another drink from his cup and his eyes narrowed as he watched Aysel twist her ring. “Ays,” Bay said quietly.

“It’s loud,” was all she said.

Whenever he came with her to a party, the party never lasted long for them. The noise and people usually became too much for her after a bit and he would take her home. He wasn’t that much of a partier anyways. So he didn’t care.

Nate looked at her, those dark eyes going to her ring and up to her face. “You want to leave?” he asked gently.

Bay could only stare at him. The soft timber of Nate’s voice carried over the music and seemed to draw Aysel’s attention from twisting her ring up to his dark eyes. Aysel nodded and asked, “WIll you come?”

Bay put down his drink and said, “He just got here, Aysel.”

Nate shrugged and looked at him. “Why would I turn down a chance to walk with you?” Bay blushed and he turned to Aysel. Nate seemed to know better than to touch her. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Bay sent Ash and Artemis quick texts, telling them they were leaving as Bay led Aysel out of the apartments with Nate at his side. They went out into the night and the tension from Aysel’s shoulders unwound violently.

She let out a soft sigh as she tipped her head up and looked up at the stars as silence stretched around them. But a voice stopped them. “ _Wait_!”

Bay looked over his shoulder to see Artemis running up to them and them past to Aysel. “You okay?” She asked, looking down at Aysel. Aysel nodded a bit and Artemis gave her a soft smile. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Aysel and Artemis stalked up ahead while Nate stayed back with him. Comfortable silence stretched around them  for a long moment before Nate began digging in his back pocket. Bay nearly froze when Nate put a cigarette between his teeth.

Bay must have made a noise because Nate flicked his eyes to him and lowered his lighter. “Not a fan of cigarettes?”

All Bay could do was shake his head. Nate studied him for a moment more before putting the cigarette back in its case and slipping them back in his pocket. He almost felt a phantom pain going through his arms. “Thank you,” Bay said quietly, folding his arms over his chest.

Nate shrugged. “I have a little brother.” Bay furrowed his brows and Nate said, “His name is Seth. He’s quiet. Likes to read.” Nate flicked his eyes to him. “He’s like Aysel.”

Well.

That explained a lot.

“She tries to go to parties,” Bay said after a moment. “Loves to dance. She likes people,  _wants_  to be around them. Something I will never understand.”

Nate smiled. “And yet, here you are. Following her into parties, chock full of people.”

Bay watched Aysel silently. She and Artemis had began dancing up ahead, laughing. Bay felt himself begin to smile a bit. “She’s my sister. I’d follow her anywhere.”

Nate snorted. “You get along much better than me and Adrien, that’s for sure. He’s an asshole and we tend to fight like two cats.”

Bay bit back his laugh. “Yeah. Your brother is an asshole, no offense,” he said, shifting his eyes to Nate.

Nate tipped his head and laughed outright. “None taken. Trust me, me and Adrien, we have gotten into it, plenty of times. He’s gotten into my art supplies, has stolen my cigarettes, tormented me growing up. But,” Nate inhaled sharply, “he’s my blood. I’d do just about anything for him.”

Bay nodded distantly. He found his blood mother dead, covered in her own blood and his own blood father, he loved to torment him. As far as he was concerned, you earned loyalty. Blood meant nothing.

He cast out that thought as he followed Aysel and Artemis up the female dormitory steps and through the halls, down to his sister’s room. Artemis went inside, leaving Aysel alone with him and Nate. His sister looked at Nate thoughtfully. “Thank you, Nathaniel.”

Nate winked at her and she turned to him and hugged him. Bay pressed his lips to the top of her head and said “Night Aysel.”

* * *

Nate watched Baylor- Bay- hug Aysel tightly. The man’s eyes closed as he pressed his lips to her head. When she went back into her room, Bay looked at the door for a heartbeat before he started back down the hallway.

Nate followed him out of the dormitory and across the greens. The moon cast light on Bay’s golden hair, on his freckles and light eyes. On the bar going through his ear. There was something.. Dark about him. He had that look that Blake had, an almost haunted look.

They made their way to the male dorms and up the stairs. Bay stopped at the end of the hall and said, “My dorm’s that way.” Nate rose his brows suggestively and Bay blushed. “I better go.”

Before he could go however, Nate grabbed his hand. “Wait.” Bay looked down at their hands with furrowed brows before looking up at him. “You know you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Nate said gently.

Blood drained from the man’s face and he yanked his hand back. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he said coldly.

Nate titled his head. “Oh? So you  _don’t_ have a crush on me? You  _don’t_  have my number saved in your phone? You  _didn’t_  want to kiss me last week at the coffeehouse?”

He instantly regretted every single word he just said when Bay’s entire face froze over. “Fuck you.”

Bay shoved his hands in his pockets and whirled and stalked down the hallway. Nate sighed painfully and turned and went back to his own dorm. He hoped he didn’t just destroy something before it even began.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You're that Aelin. I've heard a lot about you.”
> 
> The woman sketched a brow. “Nothing too bad, I hope.”
> 
> Ciel just grinned at her as Sam, Lyria and Rhoe drug their laundry away. Aelin’s eyes were bright as she watched Caius follow after her sons. Ciel’s gaze also followed after the boys, and his eyes went to Sam’s backside.
> 
> Ciel quickly averted his gaze as Aelin righted herself and looked back at him. “How long have you known my sons?” she asked lightly,a knowing glint in her eyes. “I don’t believe any of my children have said anything about you. Then again, Sam never mentions his friends, anyways.” Ciel’s brows slowly rose as she tilted her head. “So what makes you so special, Ciel Havilliard?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for how long this took me to get out. Ive been busy starting my book and then I got my other fanfics. Plus I wanted to get certain things in this part before I posted it. But hey!! its really fucking long :)

Sam shoved all his dirty clothes in the basket and hauled it to the door just in time to hear a knock. He sat the basket down and opened the door to see Ciel standing in front of him, those mismatched eyes looking him over as a smile crept up on his lips. “Have I come at the wrong time?”

Sam hesitated. He didn't want Ciel to go, but he had to do laundry. It was Sunday and Sunday meant Laundry Day. When he said as much, Ciel’s smile fell. “Oh. Well, I can come over later, or something.”

Sam bit the inside of his cheek and said, “Do you want to come with me? I'm just going to my parents’ house, but-”

Ciel’s smile returned, bright and unrestrained. It hurt to look at. “You kidding me?”

Sam nearly jumped at the sudden loudness from the man and Sam said, “You don't  _have-”_

 _“_ No!” Ciel exclaimed. “I want to,” he poked Sam. “I wanna see where you grew up.”

Sam squirmed back from Ciel’s fingers as a small smile tilted up on Sam's lips. “Okay. Mom might try to feed you,” he warned. “ _Don't_ eat her food.”

Ciel snorted and Sam grabbed his laundry and hauled it down to the Jeep where Lyria, Rhoe and Caius were waiting. Rhoe flashed Ciel an impish smile and climbed in the backseat with Caius.

Sam put the laundry in the trunk and grabbed his book before climbing in the passenger seat. He tuned out Caius and Ciel talking while he read and Lyria drove. He, himself, rarely ever drove, if it could be helped.

When the house came into view, Ciel whistled sharply and Sam nearly dropped his book and put his hands over his ears.

“ _Damn_ ,” Ciel whispered. “Good to know I wasn't the only one who lived like royalty.”

Caius snorted and Sam merely closed his book as Rhoe pulled into the driveway.

* * *

Ciel got out of the Jeep and helped Sam and Rhoe carry in the laundry. The second the door was open, a golden dog barrelled through the house, barking and wagging its tail. A golden haired woman was on the dog’s heel and she stopped abruptly as she took in Ciel. “My God, you look just like your father.”

“I’m better looking though, right?”

The woman tipped her head back and laughed. “You sound just like him too.” Ciel merely gave her a bemused smile and she introduced herself, “I’m Aelin. I’ve known your father since I was your age.” She ran a hand down the dog’s back. “He gave me Fleetfoot.”

Oh.  _Oh_.

“You're _that_  Aelin. I've heard a  _lot_  about you.”

The woman sketched a brow. “Nothing too bad, I hope.”

Ciel just grinned at her as Sam, Lyria and Rhoe drug their laundry away. Aelin’s eyes were bright as she watched Caius follow after her sons. Ciel’s gaze also followed after the boys, and his eyes went to Sam’s backside.

Ciel quickly averted his gaze as Aelin righted herself and looked back at him. “How long have you known my sons?” she asked lightly,a knowing glint in her eyes. “I don’t believe any of my children have said anything about you. Then again, Sam never mentions his friends, anyways.” Ciel’s brows slowly rose as she tilted her head. “So what makes you so special, Ciel Havilliard?”

* * *

Rhoe shoved his laundry into the washer as he thought over his shock of seeing Ciel coming with Sam. He hadn't known his brother to bring home anyone. Then again, Sam was Sam and he could tell his brother was fond of Ciel.

Caius leaned back against the wall, watching them. Rhoe finished with the clothes when he turned to his roommate and signed, “You like video games?”

Caius lifted his brows and then grinned. “Hell yes,” he said, pushing off the wall. “You're going down, Bambi.”

Rhoe groaned and pulled his roommate up the stairs and to his bedroom.

It still felt weird, having another boy in his room who wasn't Ryan, even with Caius having been here several times over the last month. But he pushed that thought away and dug out his collection of X-Box games and signed, “What will it be?”

Caius knelt next to him and cocked his head as he studied the wide array of games thoughtfully before locking his eyes on  _Injustice. “_ I should have known you were into comic books,” he said, picking up the game. “You’re such a nerd.”

There was a deeply amused smile on Caius’s lips as Rhoe corrected him. “It's 'geek’ not 'nerd’,” Rhoe signed fluidly, cracking a smile. “Get it right, you heathen.”

Caius shook his head, that raven black hair falling into his eyes as he said, “If you say so, Prince.”

* * *

Dex laced his fingers behind his head as he watched Samaentha Blackbeak right herself after their round of sex. The woman combed her fingers through her messy hair and straightened her shirt.

Now was as good as time as any.

“Sammi.”

“Yes?”

“I need you to do me a favor.”

Sammi snorted and buttoned the shirt the rest of the way up. “I think I just  _did_ you a favor. But please, tell me what it is that you need from me other than my skills with the french tongue.”

Dex arched a brow and said, “I need a someone to come with me to the banquet coming up on Saturday night.”

Sammi’s fingers froze and she lifted her eyes to him. She frowned.“That sounds suspiciously like a  _date_ , Declan.”

At least she didn’t say no.

“No,” he said, sitting up the rest of the way. “Bay wants to bring your sister to the banquet and Adrien’s bringing Dea. I figured I’d ask you.”

She squinted at him. “Connie? My  _sister_  wants to come to a banquet with a shit ton of people everywhere?” She paused. “Is Bay trying to hook up with my sister,” she demanded, “because if  _so-_ ”

“No,” Dex cut her off. “At least I don’t think so. He just needs a date and asked her and she said she’d go only if you go.”

He thought about the sharp words Bay had used, thought about how they almost sounded desperate and then he thought about Bay’s carefully blank face in the locker room when the first banquet of the season was announced.

“Come on,” Dex pushed. “Don’t think of it as a date, because it’s  _not_.” Sammi snorted. “Think of it as a chance to get free food and to dance. And to fuck.”

Sammi pursed her lips and sat on the other end of the couch and put her feet up on his legs. “I can get those things without going on a ‘not date’ with  _you_.” Dex glowered at her and she tipped her head back against the couch and sighed. “ _Fiiine_. I’ll go.  _Only_ because Deanna and Connie will be there.”

* * *

Ciel wandered through the house, taking in the warmth and worn in living spaces. He didn’t know what he expected from Sam’s house, but he was deeply pleased with being able to see the man’s bedroom.

It was soft and warm and everything in a meticulous order. He was almost afraid of touching the bookshelves. But Sam curled up on his bed with a book, his long golden hair falling into his tanned face.

Ciel went up and sat next to him, close enough he could feel the heat pouring off Sam. It was like the man had the sun in his veins. Sam slowly closed his book and looked at him beneath his dark gold lashes.

Sam bit his lip as he regarded him for a long moment, looking everywhere but his eyes. Ciel took the book from Sam’s hand. Sam leaned in and brushed his hand along Ciel’s cheek as he kissed him lightly.

Ciel’s entire body locked up.

Sam was kissing him.  _Sam was kissing him._

It was so soft, so hesitant. He could barely piece together the gentle touch and the fact the man was kissing him. But before he could kiss him back, Sam yanked away, his eyes darting across Ciel’s face, and got to his feet and walked out of the bedroom.

Ciel stared blankly at the spot where Sam had been sitting.

The hell?

* * *

Blood rushed in Sam’s ears as he stalked down the hallway, with his arms around himself. His mother stopped in front of him, looking from him to his bedroom with a frown. “What’s wrong, Brightheart?”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he mumbled, going to walk around her.

Ciel had froze. Ciel didn’t kiss him back. He had read the whole thing wrong. He shouldn’t have kissed Ciel. Ciel was his friend, not someone he could just _kiss_  whenever he wanted. Sam’s face warmed and his mother growled, “ _Sam Galathynius._ ”

Sam ignored her and went into Lyria’s room and sat on the floor beside her bed. His sister looked up from her computer to the door and then back down at him. A frown dipped on her lips and she got up and knelt next to him.

Without a word, his twin sister pulled him into a tight,  _tight_ hug and pressed her lips to the top of his head.

* * *

Ciel stared blankly at the spot in front of him for almost a full minute before running his hand through his hair and getting up on his feet and going down the hall. He passed Aelin, ignored her narrowed eyes, and knocked on Rhoe’s door.

He waited for another minute before remembering Rhoe was  _deaf_  and he opened the door to see Rhoe and Caius sitting next to each other on the floor, shoulder to shoulder, hunched over, eyes focused on the television screen.

The game paused and they both looked over their shoulders at him. Caius’s face was perfectly neutral but Rhoe’s brows furrowed and lips thinned. He signed something sharply and Caius said, “Where’s Sam?”

“I- I don’t know,” Ciel said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rhoe’s eyes narrowed and Ciel fought the flush rising up on his cheeks. “He kissed me and then stormed out of the room before I could say-”

Rhoe’s brows shot up and he was instantly up on his feet and out the bedroom door. Caius’s eyes followed after the silver haired boy before dragging to him. “Wanna play?”

* * *

Caius scooted over as Ciel settled next to him. Ciel’s brows were furrowed, jaw set, as he grabbed the controller. But before either of them could hit play, Lyria stalked through the door and grabbed Ciel by the shirt and  _yanked_ him up. “What the  _hell_ did you do to my brother,” she seethed, punching his arm.

“Ow!” Ciel said, rubbing the sore spot. “I didn’t  _do_ anything! He kissed me, I froze. He pulled back and nearly ran out of the damned room. Nothing else!”

A series of emotions flew across Lyria’s face before settling on anger. She pushed him again. He fell back a step. Damn, she was imperceptibly strong. “You  _idiot_ ,” she growled. “My brother is  _autistic_. He thinks he did something!” Ciel stared at her and she said, “Say something!”

“He’s autistic?” She went to hit him again and he held up his hands. “Whoa whoa,  _stow_ the hitting. I didn’t know!”

“You are an  _idiot_ ,” she said, again. “What the hell does he see in you?”

“My good looks,” Ciel said, automatically. “I’m very good looking.”

“Dude,” Caius said. They both looked at him. “Just stop while you’re ahead.”

Ciel gave him a withering glare and stalked past Lyria and out the door.

* * *

Ciel stalked down the hallway, past several doors until he found the one that was open. He looked over his shoulder once before going in and looking at Roe sitting with Sam, signing with him.

Sam looked up and then Rhoe did. The younger of the two brothers looked between them and got to his feet and walked out of the room and shut the door. Ciel went and knelt down beside the bed and said, “I’m sorry Sam. I didn’t know.”

Sam looked at him, his eyes darting across Ciel’s face and he didn’t know how he hadn’t pieced it together before. He hadn't met an autistic person before, he didn’t know what to expect. Sam had been quiet, fun. Curious and kind. But now that he knew-

It changed nothing.

“Can I kiss you?” Ciel asked quietly.

Sam nodded again and Ciel sunk to his knees and leaned forward. Sam’s lips brushed his, his hand lightly touching Ciel’s face. It was so soft, so tender and Ciel knew he was gone. He was so far gone for this man, for this kind, sweet man.

He settled further into the floor, his fingers going into Sam’s long hair.

But then the kiss deepened.

And Sam’s fingers dug into Ciel’s side.

Heat started to bloom lower and this was  _not_ the place to start getting horny. They were in Sam’s mother’s house for God’s sake! It didn’t help that Sam’s fingers brushed up his back, that Sam’s tongue seamed Ciel’s mouth.

Someone cleared their throat behind them and Ciel forced himself to part from Sam and glare at the offender who dared interrupt them. Lyria looked between them with a sketched brow and her thin arms crossed over her chest. “I know you two aren’t getting freaky on my bedroom floor. If you want sex, I suggest going to  _Sam’s_ room. Or just waiting until you’re out of my hearing distance before jumping each other’s bones.”

SAm looked blankly at his sister but his eyes slipped back to Ciel. A small smile twitched on Sam’s lips. “To be continued.”

* * *

Hours later, Adrien leaned against the car door with his hands in his pockets as he waited for Sammi and Deanna to come out of the female dorms. Dex waited next to him, taking a drag of his cigarette. His own cigarettes were in his back pocket.

He straightened when he spied the dorm doors opening. He felt his eyes widen slightly when Deanna and Sammi came out of the building. He wetted his lips, ignoring Dex’s snort, when he saw his girlfriend in a deep red strapless dress that brushed her knees and medium hooped earrings.

Deanna’s curly hair was pulled back into a bun, stray strands brushing the side of her unnervingly perfect face. She wrapped an arm around herself and he was almost certain she looked nervous.

“ _Adrien_.”

He ignored the exasperated edge to Dex’s voice and dug his keys out of his pocket and put them in the man’s hand. “You’re driving,” he said, his eyes never leaving Deanna. “You wreck my car and I’ll fucking kill you.”

He didn’t wait for Dex’s answer as he went up to Deanna.

“She looks hot, right?” Sammi grinned.

He ignored her and took Deanna’s face into his hands and kissed her deeply. She pulled back and cast those startling eyes up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. WIth her heels, she went to his jaw. “Not so bad yourself.”

He generally wore simpler clothes, but he figured the black jeans and white vee neck shirts wouldn't cut it. So he opted for a pair of black slacks and a crisp white button up shirt, (rolled up to his sleeves), and his long black hair loose around his shoulders. And judging by those eyes looking him over, he chose right.

He grinned at her and Sammi sighed loudly. “Yes, Adrien. You look hot. She looks hot.  _I_ look hot. Let’s  _go_.”

Dex snorted by the car and Sammi looked over her shoulder at him. She looked for a long heartbeat and Adrien could almost see Dex’s slow near feral grin. “Yes tree,” she said, her tone an octave too high. “You look nice too.”

Dex shook his head and climbed in the driver's seat as he pulled Deanna into the back. They barely had the door shut when Adrien had his hand brushing up her thigh and his mouth on her neck.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Connie fidgeted on the floor, her hands in her lap as Nadia finished styling her hair. She wasn’t sure why she had let Bay talk her into coming. Maybe it had been the flatness in his stare, or the desperate edge to his words.

She couldn't turn him down. She was his friend and friends helped.

Nadia clasped Connie’s shoulders and said, “All done, my dear.”

Connie got to her feet and went to look in the mirror. Her hair was lightly curled and half up, her dark eyes looking big and round. She looked pretty.

Connie’s gaze lowered to the pale dress that brushed her knees. It was spaghetti strapped and has a light pink jeweled belt. It probably didn't look anything like the dress Sammi was wearing, but her sister could feel at home in anything. Or nothing.

She sensed Nadia lean back against the couch, her gaze never leaving Connie’s back. She turned around, looked at her roommate. “How do I look?”

Nadia smiled. “Like a fairytale.”

She felt her cheeks warm. How the  _heck_  was she supposed to respond to that? “Thank you,” she rushed out. Nadia tilted her head, her fingers running against the arm of the chair, that smile still in place. Connie quickly looked away and went to put on her flats.

“If he makes some kind of move on you,” Nadia said, “I’ll kick his midget ass.”

Connie looked over her shoulder at Nadia’s very sincere, very  _serious_ face. “He won’t,” she said, firmly. “Bay’s not like that. And that’s so  _mean_ , he isn’t that short.”

Nadia snorted.“What isn’t he like?” she asked flatly. “Straight?”

“No,” Connie said, standing. “The way…” Connie shook her head and snapped her mouth shut as Nadia arched a brow. “No. He wouldn’t do that. He told me he didn’t like me and I believe him.”

She wasn’t going to just tell Nadia what her reasoning was that she was so sure Bay wouldn’t do something like that. Bay’s secrets were his own and if she broke that confidence- she would never get it again.

Or she could be completely wrong and would start spreading lies. Either way, she wasn’t going to divulge secrets like that.

Nadia got up from the couch and came up to her. She looked her over carefully, lips pursed. “Okay,” she said lightly, pulling Connie’s hair back over her shoulders. “I believe you.”

Connie smiled at her.

But before she could say anything, a sound hit the door and Connie looked over at the alarm clock. He was…. Exactly on time, right down to the minute. Good to know Bay was punctual. Connie squeezed her hand before going to answer it.

Bay stood there and she nearly didn’t recognize him without his hoodie and glasses. He was in a black dress shirt and slacks and shiny shoes. His messy hair combed back somehow made him look older, his cheeks more prominent and those  _freckles_ -

“You look very handsome,” she said.

Bay shoved his hands in his pockets, his cheeks turning pink. “You look very pretty, Connallie,” he said, very… politely. She almost could see Nadia staring at Bay from the corner of her eyes. She was looking at Bay for nearly a solid ten seconds before Bay finally looked at her and snapped, “ _What_.”

Nadia’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly and then her face completely blanked. Bay’s brows narrowed, eyes going to the cross at her throat, and she could tell Bay was fighting the impulse to say something. So was Nadia. But Connie had the feeling it was probably less mean than what Bay was obviously wanting to spit out.

Connie touched his arm and his shoulders unwound. The fight in his body relaxed and Bay looked at her, completely dismissing Nadia. He pressed his hand to the small of her back. “Are you ready?” he asked softly.

She nodded. Looked back at Nadia. “I’ll see you later?”

Nadia tore her eyes from Bay and looked at her. There was a gleam in them. “Counting down the minutes,” she said, with a wink. Connie’s cheeks warmed and Nadia went to collapse on her bed with her laptop. “You crazy kids have fun. Don’t drink or do drugs. Avoid fights and be in before midnight. Now  _get out_.”

She could almost hear Bay's eye roll as they walked down the stairs to the sleek car parked in front of the dorm. She looked at Bay as he dug out the keys. “You have a car?”

Bay shook his head. “No, it's Ash's. I usually prefer walking. But I figured you wouldn't want to walk.”

How sweet.

They climbed into the car and Connie gave the interior an impressed look. Boys and their toys. Bay seemed to not share the same sentiment, no, he just seemed to want to get this night over with.

Bay started the car as she hooked in her seatbelt and she watched his face as he began driving. Connie folded her hand in her lap and she said, softly, “Is there a specific reason you wanted  _me_ to come?”

Bay’s face hardened, his hand tightened at the wheel. She started to think maybe it had been the wrong thing to ask as silence stretched around them for nearly a whole minute. Just when she was about to tell him nevermind, he said, “You’re my friend and I didn’t feel like asking a girl I didn’t know to something that’s already poised to drive me insane.”

She smiled into her lap and Bay glanced at her from the corner of his eye. His face softened, just a fraction and he said, “Thank you for coming, Connie. I know you don’t like things like this.”

Her face warmed and she just shrugged. “It’s what friends are for.”

She could almost have sworn a smile ghosted his lips but it instantly fell as the building came into view. Several busses came into view and even more cars. Her stomach dropped and she forced a smile on her face as Bay pulled into the parking lot. Right next to a sleek car where her sister was waiting, with Dex and… Adrien? And Deanna? If she remembered right?

The second the car was in place, her sister was at her door and yanking her out and giving her an appreciative look over. “God, we’re hot,” Sammi said by greet, a wicked smile stretching on her face. “Deanna! Doesn’t she look great?!”

Deanna looked over her shoulder and Connie could only stare at the girl’s eyes. They were so  _pretty._ Goodness. A small smile tilted up on the girl’s face and Connie felt her’s burn. “Absolutely stunning.”

Connie wrapped her arms around herself and Bay put his hand on the small of her back as they walked across the parking lot inside. She had never been to a banquet before, or really many dances. But in theory they seem fun. Hopefully.

* * *

The banquet was mostly uneventful. Bay stayed with Connie, danced with her and they sat at the table together and ate food. It had been fun, or rather as fun as something where he was surrounded by straight people groping each other could be.

Bay leaned back in his chair and watched Dex pull Connie with him to the dance floor. He had given him a stern warning look but there seemed to be no alterior motive behind Dex’s offer other than just wanting to dance. Connie gave him a questioning look but Bay just dipped his head into a nod and she got up and went to dance with Dex. Their height difference was almost laughable but Bay merely watched them.

At least until a girl from another school started talking to him. Bay just looked at her blankly and gave her clipped one worded answers until she got the hint and left him alone. He watched Connie instead, watched her smile up at Dex and laugh at something Dex said.

* * *

Adrien could barely keep his hands to himself throughout the night. He had never seen Deanna in a dress the last few months they have been dating. It had always been baggy cargo pants and her oil stained shirts and tank tops. He loved her in those but, God, he had not expected to be so affected by a  _dress_. In any case, he just wanted to rip it off.

He rested his hands on her hips, the smooth material of her dress brushing his fingers and Adrien was in bliss. He could stand here, dancing with Deanna, looking down at those startling eyes, inhaling her soft scent forever. Though it did not bode well for his sex drive which occupied a large portion of his brain.

Deanna had rested her head on his chest, had hooked her arms around his waist when yelling erupted outside, sounding a hell of a lot like Jason, one of his forwards. That dumbass better not be getting into another fight.

Adrien stepped back from Deanna and said, “Stay here,” knowing full well she would follow him as he ran, following Bay, who pulled out of his seat and was hauling ass outside as well. Like he thought, Jason and another player from another team were fighting in the parking lot, beating the hell out of each other.

He and Bay exchanged looks before running to separate them and Adrien could smell booze on Jason as Bay pulled him off the other player, earning himself a busted lip, and a ‘Get the fuck away from me, hick.’

If Adrien had never seen Bay pissed, Bay looked ready to bash Jason’s brain in. “What the  _fuck_  did you call me?”

Adrien pulled Jason back before Bay got himself thrown in jail. His forward swayed on his feet, trying to move past him and Adrien fisted his shirt, pushed him back and slammed him against the wall. “What the fuck is going on,” he growled.

Jason slipped his eyes to him and half of what he said was nonsense and Adrien said, “You are off my team. I gave you a pass last year but this- this time I’m drawing the line.” That and he didn’t want to see what would happen if Bay and Jason were to be left alone. They already butted heads on the ice and since Jason punched him… There was no rectifying this without cops being called. Last thing he needed was his father showing up.

“You’ll be down a player without me,” Jason mumbled.

“”If you think that’ll save you,” Adrien said, “Then you’re sorely overestimating your importance. I dealt with your shit last year but this year  _I_  am your captain and I  _warned you_ that I wouldn’t put up with your shit. Effective right now,” he said, stepping back.”You’re done.”

He didn’t wait for him to say anything and went to defuse the situation.

* * *

Bay tasted blood and he walked away before he punched Jason. He already had one scrape with the school’s officials, he didn’t need to get his ass expelled before the end of the first semester.

He went to find Connie. He found her by the door, shaking and her arms around herself as she watched Adrien try to defuse the shit situation. He didn’t know what had happened, he didn’t  _care_ to know what happened. All he knew was that he needed to get Connie out of here before things escalated.

Bay shrugged his jacket off and put it over her shoulders and ushered her out to the car. He sucked on his lip while he started driving and he kept looking at Connie, who was staring down at her shaky legs and he said, “I’m sorry, Connie.”

She didn’t answer him and when he pulled into the driveway of the female dorms, Bay got out of the car and followed her. She made it a few steps before shakily saying, “Why did I have to come. Why me, Bay.”

He could only stare at her and when he didn’t answer, she turned around to stalk away. But before she made it five feet Bay blurted out, “Connie, I’m gay.”

* * *

Connie halted midstep and she turned around. Bay looked at her and his eyes were bright and sick with misery. He was speaking the truth, for once. While he didn’t lie to  _her_ , she had to wonder if this was the first time he said it out loud.

“I had you come because I didn’t want to bring a girl who might read too much into something that was never going to happen,” Bay said, voice shaking. “I used you because I knew you didn’t like me. I should never have asked. I will never ask again. I promise.”

Her heart dropped at the borderline hysteria in his words and she went up and hooked her arms around his neck and hugged him. He was her friend and despite what had happened tonight, she'd always have his back.

His corded arms went around her waist and he pressed his forehead to her shoulder.

Bay was nearly shaking in her arms but she just silently held onto him. She didn't blame him for wanting to take someone that he knew wouldn’t develop some kind of feelings towards him and since her own emotions were also a mess.

“It’s okay,” she said softly.

“It would be so much easier if I could just like girls,” he muttered against her skin, the tension in his shoulders unwinding violently. “Everything wouldn’t be so complicated.”

Connie had to agree. Perhaps liking boys wouldn’t make things so complicated for herself. Sammi didn't seem to be struggling in that particular area.

She pulled apart from him and said, “Do you want to get some ice cream?” Bay looked at her a long moment. Completely bewildered. She felt her face warm and she said, “It’ll help with that lip of yours.”

Bay's cheeks pinked. “Okay,” he said quietly.

* * *

They got into the car and drove to the nearest Dairy Queen. Bay could barely keep his eyes on the road and not on her. Surely this was too easy. Surely Connie couldn't accept this that easily. He used her. He wasn't going to pretend he didn't. He wasn't going to pretend he just asked her because he liked her. He  _used_ her so he didn't have to find a date.

After getting their ice cream, they sat on the curb by Ash’s car, which he had borrowed with a promise to do Ash a favor, and ate in silence for a solid minute before Connie said, “How did you know you were gay?”

Bay choked and he nearly dropped his DQ cup. “Wow you don’t beat around the bush, do you?” A smile tilted up on Connie’s lips as she took a bite of her ice cream. “I don’t know,” Bay said honestly. “I think I might have always known. I had been on several dates with these girls from school but it just never clicked, I don’t think. Your skin is too soft.”

Connie’s dark eyes turned thoughtful and he waited a long torturous heartbeat before she said, “Is there anyone now you like?” Bay took a bite of his ice cream and those dark eyes snapped on him and she pointed at him with her spoon. “There is! Who!”`

His face warmed and Bay sighed, “It’s so stupid. He’s so pretty it’s  _stupid_.”

She screeched. “Tell meeeee.”

Despite the split to his lip, Bay felt himself start to smile. “You know the barista at the coffee shop? The one with the long black hair and tattoos?”

Connie blinked and then her mouth dropped. “ _Him?_ He seems really sweet.”

“Maybe a little too sweet,” Bay grumbled.

Connie rested her head on his shoulder and he could almost hear her giggling. That girl was far too kind and good natured for her own good. Connie took another bite of her ice cream and said, “Says the southern boy with the biggest sweet tooth I have ever seen. You should give him a chance. He like you, doesn't he?”

Bay’s mind went backwards to that night, to that party and the pure undivided attention from Nate. His mind went backwards again to the coffeehouse and that blinding smile Nate gave him. It was fair to say yes, he did. But after he was a complete asshole to him those few days ago, he probably thought Bay wasn’t worth the trouble.

“I don’t know,” he said.

She nudged him with her shoulder. “What’s not to like?”

He barked a laugh. “A lot.”

* * *

Adrien got everything situated with the coaches and with the other teams and waited for them all to get the hell out of his school before he and Deanna went back to her dorm. They made it down the hall and into her room and barely had the door shut a heartbeat before he had his hands on her, his lips on her neck.

Her faint scent filled his nose and eh was painfully aware of her hands slipping up his back, of her hands slipping up his jacket. “Adrien.”

He pulled back and looked down at her, his heart pounding against his ribs. Those startling eyes searched his face as she brought her hand up and brushed his cheek with her thumb. “The fight is not your fault,” she said firmly.

Adrien’s hand slipped up from her waist to her face. It was his fault though. They were  _his_ players, it was his event that Jason got wasted at and now he needed to call in a new forward. Luckily Dex’s cousin could be that forward. If he was anything like Dex, they were in good hands.

Adrien dipped his head towards hers and looked at her lips. He’d deal with Jason’s stupidity later, right now, right  _now_ he had every intention of burying himself inside Deanna. And by the slow curling of her lips, she knew it too.

Adrien slipped his hand to unzip the back of her dress and watched it slip down her body as she tugged at his belt. He brushed his fingers along the black scraps of lace as his mouth returned to the plane of her throat.

They kicked their shoes off and he let her tug the belt off him, he let her unbutton his shirt and push it off his shoulders. He let her tug his slacks down and he felt himself start to grin as her startling eyes blatantly raked his body.

His blood thrummed as his control snapped as she tugged her curly hair out of her bun and fell down her back. Those curls, those eyes, that heart. That  _strength-_

Adrien curled her hair behind her ear and kissed her deeply. Starlight filled his veins and his blood began thrumming. Adrien hooked his arms beneath her knees and picked her up. Her legs hooked around his hips so easily as her arms went around his neck. Those eyes, those  _eyes_ he loved looked down at him and were so alive, so bright. So different from the icy hockey player he met all that time ago.

He went to lay her on the bed and Adrien hovered over her and those eyes went back up to him and Adrien could only stare down at her. She brushed her fingers against his cheek and he so very quietly said, “I’m in love with you, Deanna.”

* * *

Deanna blinked up at him and she felt the truth of those words, felt the slight hesitancy in the deep timbre of his voice. And the openness of his face, the love, it drowned out the slight  _fear_  in his hazel eyes.

She never thought Adrien could be someone ever to be afraid. Of  _anything._

She smiled. She smiled up at him because it was Adrien. If there was anyone who saw her, who truly saw her and was not afraid of the ice, of her sharp bite, it was him. He saw her before she even had a chance to put up the wall. Before she even had a chance to say no, he slipped past her defenses and made a home in her bones.

So she smiled up at him. Bright and unrestrained and she tugged him down into a brutal kiss. A groan was in Adrien’s throat, his broad hand brushing down her stomach to tug at her panties. She could taste the nicotine on his tongue, could taste the slight bitterness.

His hand slipped past the scrap of black lace and her breath shuddered at the slight caress of his fingers against her folds. Adrien's mouth never left hers, her nails bit into his muscled back as two fingers plunged inside her.  _Christ_.

Heat bloomed through her core, through her limbs as his thumb began lazily tracing her clit and Deanna felt her heart speed up. She could feel his hardness brush against her and she had no intention of dragging this out. She wanted him to  _fuck_ her.

He smiled against her neck, his teeth grazing her skin and she knew he could somehow sense her thoughts. Adrien reached over lazily to the side table to grab a condom, his tongue and teeth never leaving her skin.

Adrien pulled apart from her throat, which would definitely have a hickey in the morning, (not that she particularly cared) to put it on. She watched the pure black hair slip over his golden brown shoulders like shadows, with an almost primal fascination and she could have sworn a smirk ghosted his lips. Cocky bastard.

Adrien tugged her panties down and off her as he pressed a kiss just above her hip bone. They barely hit the floor before Adrien was hovering over her once more, his lips on hers, as he lined up and buried himself inside her.

She nearly whimpered at the fullness inside her and she didn’t have a chance to let out a breath as he pistoned his hips forward, as a calloused hand palmed her breast, as his lips moved to her throat. The rough edges of those callouses brushing her skin, her overly sensitive nipple, sent fire through her.

Her nails dug into his back and this,  _this_ was something she could never get tired of. Each thrust, each roll of his hips unmade and remade her. Pressure built between her legs and Adrien brushed his finger against her clit and her release shattered through her.

Deanna’s eyes closed as Adrien reached for the headboard. He drove his hips forward, he crushed his lips on hers and Deanna was lost. She was lost in his feel, she was lost in his touch, in his heart. This was what love looked like, this was what a man who loved her looked like, what he felt like.

The wood groaned beneath Adrien’s broad hand and he pistoned his hips forward and slammed into her again and again. Her blood rushed through her like a shooting star as Adrien panted into her neck, his own release barreling through him.

He collapsed onto her, his damp hair falling onto her chest and Deanna brushed her hand down his slick back to traced the thick scar curving around his side. Whatever had happened, he hadn’t yet told her. Though she hadn’t really said anything about it, had been curious, but never had said anything. She suspected Adrien wasn’t the type to share information unless directly asked.

Either way, she loved the scar. She loved the harsh lines on his face. She loved the ice in his heart. All these broken parts of him welded together to make someone stronger, some _thing_ stronger.

* * *

A few hours later, Sammi padded down the dorm hallway with her heels in her hand. Dex’s soft cotton shirt went past her knees and dwarfed her. If she were to be honest, he probably wasn’t going to be getting it back anytime soon. If at all.

She carefully unlocked the dorm door and slipped inside. She took one look at the man sleeping in Deanna’s bed, at Adrien, asleep on top of Deanna. How the hell someone so muscular could sleep on her without puncturing a lung, Sammi had no idea.

But perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad way to go out with a hot dude on top of you. Sammi took one lingering look over Adrien’s frame before climbing into her own bed. Her own body was spent, her hair a mess and she had no intention of fixing it until the morning.

* * *

Ciel has been suffering for the last twelve hours. They hadn’t left Aelin’s house until just recently and his hormones have  _not_ been his friends today. The way Sam had looked at him, the way Sam’s fingers pulled CIel’s hair from his face had been nothing short of divine.

He texted Nate telling him he wasn’t going to come home. He probably was going to have someone over anyways. He made Ciel look positively celibate and that was almost a feat in itself. Though Nate was unnaturally gorgeous. If he had been a lesser man, he would have been insecure. He, himself, was certainly not lacking.

He followed Sam down the male dormitory halls, towards the room that Ciel had been in countless times. The smooth line down Sam’s back was unhurried, unconcerned and completely in control.

Ciel held onto the laundry while Sam unlocked the door and the moment they were inside, the moment the door was shut and the laundry was put away, Sam rasped, “I'm clean.”

“Me too,” Ciel said.

He was tested every month. It was nearly compulsive, with his parents drilling it into his head since he was fourteen years old. And he wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t stupid enough to have unprotected sex with  _anyone_.

That was all Sam needed. He came up and kissed him. This kiss,  _this_  kiss was nothing like before, it certainly wasn’t hesitant and it certainly wasn’t soft. It was hungry, needing and filled with the built up frustration of the last twelve hours. Oh, he liked a Sam worked up.

Ciel pulled back, gulping for air as he looked up at him, a grin cracking on his lips. “You going to fuck me, Sam?” Ciel purred.

Sam gave him one of his rare smiles, and it was nothing short of wicked as he looked Ciel over indolently beneath dark gold lashes before looking him directly in the eyes. “I have every intention,” he promised.

Sam’s deft fingers undid the buttons of Ciel’s shirt and for a moment, CIel wished he had worn a simple tee shirt but no, he had to be extra and wear a silk button down that cost more than Jax’s IQ, like he always did. CIel pushed the flannel shirt off Sam’s shoulders, he tugged the soft cotton shirt over Sam’s head and he looked at the glorious lightly freckled, flushed chest as Sam finished unbuttoning his.

They kicked off their shoes, they pulled of the rest of their clothes and CIel took in every edge of Sam’s body, at the scrawl of tattoo at Sam's side. Sam's golden hair brushed his collarbones, casting his eyes alight and all Ciel could do was stare. Buff librarian indeed.

Sam pulled Ciel to the bed. He let Sam push him down onto the sheets. He let Sam climb over him. He let Sam run his lips along the plane of his throat. He let Sam have complete and total control.

Ciel watched Sam roll the condom on with a primal fascination. He could watch Sam forever and as Sam leaned back over him, as Sam’s fingers worked him open, the ache between his legs was nearly unbearable.

His heart pounded in his veins, in his bones as Sam’s lips brushed his neck and he let out a strangled breath as Sam pushed his way inside. Jesus.  _Christ_.

His entire head went static at the first thrust, at the complete feeling of Sam inside him.

There was a shadow of barely constrained control in Sam’s movements and as Ciel's nails dug into Sam's sculpted back, he watched the control snap in Sam’s eyes.

Sam grabbed at the headboard and he drove his hips forward. “ _Fuck_ ,” Ciel rasped, nearly clawing the length of Sam's back.

Sam smiled against Ciel's neck, his fingers most definitely bruising Ciel's thigh and all Ciel could think was this was Sam. Sam Sam  _Sam_.

Good and kind and lovely Sam.

Sam who was taking him the fuck  _apart_.

Sam’s teeth brushed against his neck, his teeth sinking in, but not quite breaking the skin. Sam’s hips drove forward again and again and Ciel was lost in this man.

Long fingers curled around Ciel's cock and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his damned head as Sam stroked him. Starlight filled his veins and Ciel tugged at Sam’s damp golden hair, yanking back Sam’s head so Sam was looking down at him.

Those gold rimmed turquoise eyes were lit like a thousand suns as they looked down at him with a heaving chest. Sam was looking at him as if he were the only person on this planet with him.

“Kiss me,” Ciel breathed.

Sam's eyes dropped to his lips, the headboard's wood groaning beneath Sam's broad hand and Sam dipped his head to claim his mouth in a brutal kiss. Sam was sunshine and honey and firewood on a summer’s day, his lips the coolness of a summer’s breeze and Ciel knew, this was more than a crush. Maybe it had been more from the very beginning.

His arms hooked around Sam’s neck, pulling him deeper into his lips and a deep groan sat in the bottom of Sam’s throat. Sam’s hips drove forward again and Ciel didn’t know how his damn heart stayed in his chest.

His cock ached almost to the point of pain and he barely kept from the ledge. His control was in pieces as Sam hit  _just_  there and he shattered so completely, he was ruined.

Sam slammed into him again before dropping his head on Ciel's shoulder, his own release barreling through him. Sam collapsed onto him, panting, his breath hot against Ciel’s skin and he never felt as worn in his entire life.

Sam rolled onto his back, his hand carding through his hair as he caught his breath. A tired smile crept up on Sam’s lips and for a moment, Ciel understood why Jax had been such a  _prick_ regarding Sam.

Ciel filled his own lungs before sitting up, barely keeping the groan from voicing as he got up to clean himself off, his eyes never leaving Sam’s lovely face. Jax had been obsessed with a singular part of Sam- while he, he was obsessed with every single piece. He wanted  _all_  the pieces.

* * *

Connie tried to get Bay to not bother with walking her back to her dorm. But he had insisted on it. Claimed he’d sleep better if he made sure she was in her dorm when he left. Her mind still reeled, that he was gay. Though at the same time… it made sense.

She had promised to not tell anyone and relief painted across his face. He was her friend, nothing would change that. And she had agreed to come to the banquets, when she could. She had her bad days, but when she could, she would. She  _had_ been having fun before the fight.

They stopped in front of the dorm and Connie looked at Bay. “You should really get that looked at,” she said, gesturing to his lip.

His lips twitch, eyes shaded with amusement. “I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.”

She stopped herself from looking at his arms and hugged him instead. His forehead pressed to her shoulder and she hugged him tight. Goodness, he was made of muscle. He kissed her cheek and said, “Good Night, Connie.”

Connie slipped into her room, surprised to see Nadia up waiting for her. Her cheeks immediately warmed as Nadia’s copper eyes snapped to her, her face white with anger. Oh. She knew about the fight, it would seem.

Nadia was instantly up and tackling her into a hug, her arms around Connie’s neck. Connie stiffened momentarily before hugging her back. She inhaled the soft lilac and honey smell of Nadia when Nadia pulled back and clasped her face. Nadia looked her over before saying, “I’m going to kick his ass.”

Before Nadia could get to the door, Connie had her hand around Nadia’s wrist in an ironclad grip. She was stronger than she looked and she wasn’t going to let Nadia do something she would definitely regret. “It wasn’t Bay’s fault.”

Nadia inhaled sharply and then turned to look at her. Her golden tan face was harsh, her eyes livid and Connie held firm. “Please,” she said. The fight unraveled from Nadia’s shoulders and she sighed. Connie smiled at her. “I’m fine. Bay and I got some ice cream. I should have called to tell you I was okay, I’m-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nadia said, a stubborn edge to her words. “ _He_ should have done something.”

No, he shouldn’t have. It’s not his fault there was a fight. It is not his fault that he wanted to bring her. Connie frowned at her roommate. “No,” she said firmly, her words whetted coldly. “He shouldn’t. I am a grown ass adult. I don’t  _need_  a babysitter.”

Nadia blinked at her. “Did you just cuss?”

Connie blushed. “I curse,” she groused.

A half smile curled up on Nadia’s face, eyes glinting. “I have known you for two and a half months and this is the first time I have ever heard you say a curse word.” Connie wrinkled her nose and Nadia sighed and said, “ _Fine._ I wont kick his ass.”

The tension in Connie’s shoulders unwound. “Thank you.”

* * *

Nate sat up on the roof of the male dorms, smoking his third cigarette, watching the night sky. He replayed the conversation he had with Bayl- Bay. With  _Bay_ \- over and over again. He was an idiot, truly, for saying what he did to him. He should have known better. Though that didn’t stop him from looking at his phone every ten minutes, to see if he had texted him.

Each time it felt like a razorblade had wrapped around his heart and was pulled tighter. This was stupid. He had no problems dealing with men, he had no problems getting a man into bed, let alone on a  _date_. But this one-  _this_ one had settled in his bones and it had been a while- if  _ever-_ a man had fucked him up this bad. He was not used to crushes, let alone crushes that weren’t reciprocated.

Nate sighed deeply and leaned forward as he watched a set of male students walk up the steps of the building, but his eyes snapped on the student that was several steps behind him. Bay. He was hunched forward, his light hair gleaming in the moonlight. Nate had to force himself to not go down there and talk to him.

* * *

The next morning Adrien was awake before the sun had risen. He quietly got up and began getting dressed when he heard both of the girls’ beds creak. He nearly had his belt fastened when Sammi said, “Please, don’t get dressed on my account.”

He looked over his shoulder to see her propped up on an arm, her hair messy and shiny in the moonlight. He felt a half smile curl up on his face as he said, “Sorry to disappoint, but I have to go to work.”

Sammi groaned and dropped back onto her pillow. “Killjoy.”

A quiet laugh rasped from his lips and he slipped his dress shirt back on. He could almost feel Deanna’s glare pinned on Sammi. He turned back to her and reached over the bed to kiss her quickly before he quietly said, “Love you.”

Her startling eyes were bright and a smile curled up on her lips as she leaned up and kissed him again. “Call me later.”

“Yes ma’am,” He said, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

He finished getting his boots on and forced his ass out the door and not back in bed. It was early enough no one was out of the dorms. He had made it a habit, staying with her during the night and heading back to his own dorm to change into his work clothes.

He could have just left clothes there, but he wanted to go back, if only to check on Sam. It was a ten minute walk between the dorms and he quietly walked through the male dorms until he got to his room and went inside.

He looked at Sam’s bed, at the other man in it with Sam. CIel, if he remembered right. Sam’s arm was around him, his forehead pressed against Ciel’s back. They were both sleeping like the dead. Adrien made a mental note to talk to Ciel.

He quickly changed into his work clothes, a cut off shirt and sweats and sneakers and headed to work at the gym.

* * *

Deanna and Sammi watched Adrien leave before Deanna turned to Sammi and threw her pillow at her. “Stop staring at my boyfriend, you hoe.”

Sammi caught the pillow before it hit her in the face, her laugh heavy with sleepiness. “Can you blame me?” She asked, tucking it behind her head. Both he and Dex are far too good looking for their own goods.”

Deanna snorted. “Fair.”

Sammi turned her dark eyes to Deanna. “He said he loooves you.”

Deanna felt herself start to smile and she covered her face with her hands. He did. He did say that and she wanted him to say it again and again. Sammi crawled onto her bed and climbed on her, shaking Deanna’s shoulders. “Spill woman! A girl has needs.”

Deanna pushed her off and Sammi laughed. “How are you this chipper in the morning?” Deanna demanded. “You might as well not be human.”

“I’m a witch,” Sammi said, giving her spooky fingers.

Deanna gave her an unamused look. “Shouldn't you be tired after your marathon last night?”

“Babe, witches can ride all night.” Deanna rolled her eyes and Sammi poked her cheek. “He said he loves youuu. Do  _you_ love  _him_?”

Deanna felt herself start to smile.”Yeah, I think I do.”

* * *

Ten that morning, Bay pulled his hoodie over his head and walked out into the light rain. Music played on his ipod, though it was a dull roar in his ears as he thought about Connie and the night before. He thought about Nate and how he was such a  _prick_ to him.

A car honk pulled him out of his thoughts and he pulled his headphones down and looked to see a deep purple truck. The window rolled down and revealed Nate behind the wheel, his black hair shimmering and falling past his shoulders. “Hey!”

“What do you want.”

Nate quirked a brow. “Let me give you a ride,” he said. “You'll get sick in this weather.”

“I've had worse,” Bay said, though his feet didn't move. His feet didn't move and Nate bit at his lip ring.

“Come on,” Nate said. “Please. It's just a ride.”

Bay sighed through his nose, Connie's words flickering in his head. She'd give him an earful if he said no. “Fine.”

A dazzling smile split Nate's golden brown face. Bay's heart jumped into his throat as he stepped forward to climb into the truck.

The interior was in pristine condition, the seats joined together without a divide and a dark soft leather, the dash black and gleaming. It would seem it wasn't only Adrien who had a thing for older made cars.

Nate's eyes dropped down to Bay's lip and the easy smile fell from his face, ice taking its place. In that moment, Nate looked exactly like Adrien. “Who did that to you,” he asked in a lethal quiet, his dark eyes lifting to Bay's, his heavily ringed fingers tightening on the wheel.

Bay went to look away but Nate's fingers caught Bay's chin, forcing his eyes to Nate's. His blood heated and he said, “I broke up a fight at the banquet last night. I'm  _fine_.”

Nate's dark eyes don't waver and Bay didn't know what to do with the sheer intensity of Nate's focus. He felt ,stripped apart. But then Nate blinked, as if coming back to the present and he released Bay's chin and let out a breath. “Where to?”

“The used bookstore on main,” Bay said in a strangled breath.

Nate's lips curled, though it did not reach his eyes. “Bookworm huh?” Bay shrugged and Nate laughed softly. “Good to know.”

Nate started his truck back up and set it into gear. It was a stick shift.

“Doesn't your hand get tired?” Bay asked. He couldn't imagine shifting gears constantly. It sounded tedious.

Nate's eyes crinkled and an amused smile split his face. “I think you're entire body gets tired if you're doing it right.”

Heat seared Bay's cheeks and he stopped from face palming. He forced his attention out the windshield. “I bet,” he muttered.

A low laugh from Nate and it made Bay painfully aware of the fact he hadn’t even kissed a boy, let alone slept with one. Heat bloomed in his ears and he looked out his window into the gray day. A gray day for a gray mood. How typical.

  
The store came into view and Nate pulled into the parking lot. Bay went to get out and made it three steps before Nate got out with him and locked the truck. An easy smile split Nate’s lips as he pulled his hair back into a ponytail.

“What are you doing,” Bay said.

“Tying my hair.”

“That’s not what I’m asking and you know it.”

Nate slipped his eyes to him. “I want to find a book.”

“Do you even read?”

Nate arched a brow, his eyes lit with amusement. “Should I be insulted? I don’t get where I am in life with my looks, you know. Though I suppose they do help, don’t they?”

Damn him.

Bay sighed and started towards the store. He made it inside and went to get clocked in. He heard the door ding again, and he heard Nate coming into the store. He had passed Eidth at the counter, her eyes bright as she looked at him and then at Nate.

He went back to the counter and said, “I got the place, why don’t you go take a break.”

She turned her wrinkled face to him and said, “Are you trying to tell me I’m old?”  
  


“No,” he said.  _I just don’t want you out here when Nate is._ “I got the store handled. There’s no reason for both of us to be out here, Edith.”

Her eyes glinted. “Very well,” she said. “It’s time for tea anyways.”

She went back through the store and Bay started rearranging the stacks of books on the counter. Thirty minutes went by before Nate came up to the counter with a worn paperback. He didn’t even look at the title as he braced his hands on the counter. “What are you doing.”

“Buying a book.”

“No,” he said. “What are you  _doing_.”

Nate braced his own arms on the counter, meeting him at eye level. “Tell me you want me to stop. Tell me you feel absolutely nothing for me and I will walk out that door right now and never bug you again. I will stay away from you and your sister and give you space. Just say you don’t like me and I’m gone.”

Bay inhaled sharply and Nate quirked a dark, groomed brow. They both knew he wasn’t going to say shit.  _Damn_ it. Nate’s lips curled up and his dark eyes glittered. Bay sighed deeply and said, “That book costs two dollars.”

Nate’s eyes never left his as he grabbed the wallet from the back of his black jeans and handed him a ten dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

Bay took the bill and Nate straightened and went back through the store to the chair Bay had made his own. Nate opened the book and began reading.

* * *

Ciel woke with a groan, Sam’s arm still around him, his forehead still pressed to Ciel’s shoulder. He had never been more sore in his entire life but God, it was worth it. CIel brought Sam’s knuckles to his lips and kissed them before snuggling back against him.

Sam stirred and Ciel turned over to face him, trying to not wince. Sam’s eyes opened, lowering from his own and Ciel didn’t know how the hell he didn't know Sam was Autistic. He made a mental note to do research.

“Kiss me,” Ciel whispered.

Sam lifted his head to kiss him softly on the lip, his golden hair grazing Ciel’s face. How the hell was Sam’s skin so warm all the damn time? Though he didn't care. Sam was Sam and perhaps in another life he had fire beneath his veins.

  
Ciel was falling and falling and falling and there was no bottom in sight.

* * *

For the last hour and a half, Dacia watched Caius and Biela talk. SHe watched Rhoe keep sliding his eyes to her and her patience was beginning to fray. Perhaps she had read him wrong and he  _did_ like her after all. It was driving her up the wall and she had refrained from telling Biela because she knew Biela would rip the boy’s head off. Probably with her teeth.

Dacia got up from the couch and grabbed his hand and yanked him with her. His skin was rather warm and surprisingly toned, considering Caius said that Rhoe lived and breathed computers and coding.

They got out to the hall and Dacia whirled on him. His eyes widened as she pointed at him. “Stop staring at me,” she whispered sharply. “I do not like men, I will  _never_ like men. Especially some boy who just got out of high school. Understand?”

The color drained from his tanned face and she felt a prick of shame. She didn’t mean to come off so… horrible. Like her father. BUt she set her jaw and Rhoe held up a hand before grabbing his phone.

His hands shook as he looked through it, his shoulders were wound. He made a fist and circled his chest with one hand before holding out his phone to her. SHe took it, bewildered, and looked down at the screen, at the two boys. A boy with golden hair kissed Rhoe’s cheek. It was very obvious- they were together.

Her heart dropped and she looked at him, at his eyes lined with silver and she said, “I-”

Rhoe took back the phone and typed on it and handed it back to her.

**I’M SORRY. YOU JUST LOOKED SO MUCH LIKE HIM. PLEASE DO NOT TELL ANYONE. I WON’T LOOK AT YOU ANYMORE. I PROMISE.**

She tried saying something,  _anything_ , but she just thought about seeing her father, about her father throwing her out and she nodded to Rhoe. She wouldn’t say anything. Not even to Biela. The relief was plain as day on Rhoe’s face as he wiped his eyes with the heels of his hands.

The door flew open, revealing Caius and Biela. Caius’s violet eyes looked them over carefully, his face smooth and his hands in his pockets. “What’s going on?” he asked lightly.

Dacia did not miss the honeyed venom in those words. She opened and closed her mouth and winced. She could only imagine what kind of conclusions Caius was drawing in his head as those violet eyes slipped to Rhoe. Caius signed something sharply to Rhoe and Rhoe replied with shaking hands.

Caius’s eyes turn to her and then to Biela. He reaches down to kiss her cheek and says, “We got to go. I’ll call you later, yeah?”

Biela nods and Caius curled his arm around Rhoe’s shoulder and tugged him down the hallway. Biela slipped her arms around Dacia’s waist and slipped her hand into Dacia’s back pockets. “You owe me a bath,” she said.

Dacia smiled down at her and said, “You are so spoiled you know that?”

Biela’s grin was nothing short of wicked. “And you enable it.”

Dacia pushed the door behind BIela further open before scooping her up. BIela laughed and Dacia carried her inside. “It’s one of my favorite things to do.”

* * *

Caius tugged Rhoe close as they began to walk out into the cloudy day. He didn’t bother asking Rhoe what was wrong, what Dacia had talked to him about. Though every sred of his being was demanding him to  _ask_. He needed to ask, he wanted to ask- But Rhoe wouldn’t have answered him anyways.

Whatever was going through the silver-haired boy’s head wasn’t something that Rhoe could share with him. Yet.

* * *

Bay went back to clock out for lunch and came back out to the mainstore to see Nate waiting by the wall with his hands in his jeans, his eyes pinning Bay into place. Bay folded his arms and said, “We’re closing up for lunch. I’m sure you have somewhere to be.”

_You’ve been with me all day._

A half smile curled up on Nate’s face. “Nope. Just want food.”

Bay blinked slowly. “And I suppose you think you’re eating with me?” Nate arched a brow and Bay said, “You don’t give up, do you?”

“Unless you tell me no,” Nate said. “Are you telling me no?”

Bay stared at him and then let out a breath. “No, I’m not telling you no.” Nate gave him a bright grin and Bay rolled his eyes. “Come on. I only got an hour.”

The sky had cleared up and the sun began peaking out of the clouds. They made it to Nate’s truck and Bay could barely peace together what he was doing as Nate drove. He didn’t know where to put his eyes and kept them forward.

Was this a date? Was this  _not_ a date? He didn’t know and in all honesty he was too afraid to ask. But Nate pulled into a bar and grill restaurant and they walked inside. Bay was very aware of the short distance between them.

The interior had few people in it, a few men at the counter on stools and a woman behind the counter. She locked eyes on Nate and grinned brightly. Nate winked at her and pulled Bay to one of the tables to the back. Nate’s eyes met his as Bay reluctantly took the spot in front of him. “No one in here’s going to say shit.”

Bay blinked and heat pressed to his face. He didn’t think he was being that obvious, but he was also  _him_. He was about as comfortable in here with Nate as Aysel was in a room full of very loud idiots. “Did I say anything?” Bay asked.

Nate grinned at him, his eyes glittering with knowing. “You didn’t have to,” he said, leaning forward with his tattooed arms folded on the table. “It’s just food, Bay. That’s it.” Bay shrugged and Nate pointed lazily to Bay’s lip. “What  _exactly_  happened.”

“One of my teammates got drunk and decided to get into a fight with a forward from another team. I broke it up and punched.” And called a  _hick_. If Adrien hadn’t gotten between them when he did, Bay was fairly certain he would have knocked Jason’s teeth down his damn throat. “Adrien threw him off the team.”

“Good,” Nate said, leaning back. “Adrien always did hate bullies.”

A waitress came up to them- the bartender at that- and gave them their menus. She looked at Bay for a long moment before turning to Nate. “He’s cute.”

“I know right.”

“Don’t break this one,” she said with a wink. She looked at Bay and said, “I’ll give you a few minutes.”

‘This one’. It made Bay wondered how many men Nate brought here, though he supposed it didn’t matter. Those dark eyes never left him and Nate never opened the menu. He obviously had been here plenty of times.

Bay forced his attention to the menu and the prices were fairly reasonable, if a tab bit high. Though they were in the city. Bay settled on a cheeseburger and a sweet tea.

The woman came back and they ordered. Nate ordered twice the amount of food he did and Bay had no idea where it went. Nate peppered him with questions, easy questions that had easy answers. Before he knew it, the food came back and they were eating.

“For what it’s worth,” Nate said softly. “I’m sorry for how I handled things after the party. I should have known better.”

Bay lifted his eyes from his food to him. Nate’s eyes were bright with sincerity and Bay sighed and leaned back. “No,” he said. “I was an asshole. I  _am_ an asshole. I could have handled that better.” Nate smiles at him and Bay said, “Why do you like me?  _Why_.”

Nate studied his face. “Because,” he said, after a long moment. “You are a very genuine thing in this very ungenuine world.”

“You barely know me.”

“I know you’re adopted,” he said. “I know you would follow your sister or that ginger into hell. I know you like reading and I know you like hockey. I know you are not impressed by me and yet I know you blush whenever I smile at you. You are a walking contradiction, Baylor, and I like that about you.”

God. He was good. He was very good.

Nate blinked. “Sorry, I meant Bay.”

Bay stared at him. “No,” he said after a long moment. “You can call me that. Just- Just not in front of anyone.” Nate’s smile grew and Bay felt his face warm. “They’d know.”

“Why don’t you want them to call you by your name?” It was a simple question, it was an innocent question. But it was not an easy question. “You don’t have to tell me,” he says.

“It was what my mom called me,” he said.

Nate’s smile was soft, sweet and not pitying in the least. Those seven words were perhaps the hardest to say and they left a aching hole in his chest and a bloody bathroom floor in his mind. Nate turned the conversation and before Bay knew it, the hour was almost up.

Bay reached for his wallet as Nate did. Nate grinned at him and said, “I got it.”

Bay frowned. “I can pay-”

Nate put his hand on Bay’s arm and Bay froze. “Let me,” Nate said. “Please.”

* * *

Caius pulled Rhoe into him as the movie played. He had the feeling Rhoe was going through the motions more than actually watching the film. But he just let Rhoe curl into him and zone out. Whatever he was thinking about probably had to do with whatever Dacia had wanted to talk to Rhoe about.

They went through two movies before Rhoe started coming back. Rhoe got up and grabbed a bag of popcorn before settling down beside him. Caius hooked his arm around Rhoe's shoulder and shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

He was very acutely aware of how close Rhoe was, of how Rhoe’s head leaned back against his chest and a part if him- a part of him wanted Rhoe.

* * *

Evangeline flipped through her  _Abnormal Psychology_  textbook, finding every reference to Clythomania she could. She had saved several references to the disorder a few weeks before hand when writing her paper and each reference, each word only brought Biela’s frosted over tan face to mind.

She had brought up her concerns with her mother and with Dacia. Currently, Dacia sat next to her, her chin on the palm of her hand. Those emerald eyes pinned to the book. “Are you sure about this?” She asked quietly.

Evangeline looked at her. “Biela has been sleeping all day, Cia.”

Dacia tucked a lock of hair ear. “She was up all night  _dancing_ ,” she said, stubbornly.

“You guys got in at  _three_ ,” Evangeline countered. “It’s past two in the afternoon.” Dacia’s lips thinned and Evangeline leaned forward. “If she’s mentally ill,” she said quietly, “would that change things for you?”

Dacia’s head snapped up and she looked at her, her features laced with hurt. “Do you really think I would leave her for  _that_?”

No, she did not. But if it ever came down to that- while she loved Dacia, Biela was her  _best_ friend, she’s known her and lived with her for the last five years. Evangeline took Dacia’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “No,” she said. “Of course not. Though I think we’re going to have difficulty getting her to see someone.”

Dacia sighed and dropped her head on her arms. “I know,” she grumbled. “I’ll do it, I have the better chance of doing it without getting eviscerated. As fond of she is of you,” Dacia said, lifting her eyes to her. “You’re not the one warming her bed.”

Evangeline snorted.

* * *

Sam didn’t mean to… hurt Ciel. Though the man was grinning, his mismatched eyes alight, Sam caught the groans Ciel tried swallowing. Sam didn’t let Ciel get up from the bed, he didn’t let Ciel leave the room. Sam did what he did every saturday and that was read. Ciel watched him or he watched movies, Sam didn’t really notice as soon as he opened the book.

At two twenty, Sam put his book back and had turned back to the movie that Ciel was watching. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he was acutely aware of Ciel’s skin touching his, of Ciel’s head against Sam’s chest. He was just- very  _aware_.

Ciel turned his head, those mismatched eyes meeting his and they nearly struck Sam stupid. They were so pretty, so  _different_ but Jesus, they were so overwhelming. Sam felt Ciel touch his face and he dipped his head and kissed him.

* * *

Dacia took a large drink from her tea as she felt, more than heard Biela come out of their bedroom. Biela’s thick black hair was messy around her head, her face devoid of make up, Dacia’s flannel shirt going past her knees as she walked past her and went for the coffee. “Sleep well?” she asked.

BIela ignored her and snapped, “Why is there no coffee?”

“It’s past two in the afternoon,” Dacia replied calmly.

Biela made a sound in her throat and went to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. She sat across from her, her legs folded as she drank her water. She looked like a princess ready to conquer the world, even with hair a mess, even with the hollowness in her eyes. “Where’s Evangeline.”

“She’s with that boy.”

“The one she’s insisting she’s not screwing?”

“That’s the one,” Dacia said. She watched Biela take a drink from her water and now was as good as time as any. Perhaps this would give her a better chance of surviving unscathed. “You know I love you, yeah? I would do anything for you.”

BIela lifted her blue grey eyes to her and narrowed her groomed brows as she sat her bottle down. “It’s too early for you to tell me things I already know,” she said. “Just get to it.”

Dacia ignored the frost in those words and said, “I think you might be mentally ill. Evangeline seems to think it- it’s possible. You’re moods are… erratic. It’s very late-”

Biela’s eyes snapped on to her and she got up from the table. Dacia stopped herself from shrinking back and Biela slammed her hand on the table, rattling the glasses on the smooth surface. “I’m a bitch,” she seethed. “Not  _crazy._ Just because I’m moody doesn’t mean I need to see some  _shrink_.”

Dacia reached for her hand and Biela yanked it away, as if burned. She whirled around and stalked out of the room . Dacia let out a sigh and brought her mug up to her lips, fighting the urge to go back to the bedroom and try to talk her down. This… was going to take some careful maneuvering.

* * *

Biela threw open her closet and grabbed a pair of Dacia’s sweatpants and a t-shirt and hoodie. She slipped a pair of tennis shoes on and grabbed a hair tie and keep and stormed out of the apartment.

Just because she was moody, just because she slept in a little or decided to not dress up, did not mean she was fucking crazy. She didn't slit her wrists, she didn't try to kill herself or blow money on trivial things. She was perfectly  _sane._  This was just Evangeline and Dacia putting too much thought into things that didn't  _matter._ She was perfectly fine.

* * *

Bay spent the rest of his shift trying to keep busy and not watch Nate, who had returned to his seat at the back of the store with his book. A small, lazy smile sat pleasantly on Nate's face, his hair still pulled back into a bun, showing the cuff in his ear.

Nate turned the page in his book,his eyes lifting up to meet Bay's and he felt his ears heat. Nate's eyes crinkled and Bay nearly jumped as he heard someone clear their throat. He whirled around to see Edith standing behind him with a smile on her wrinkled face. “Who's your friend?”

Bay didn't dare look at Nate as he automatically said, “He's not my friend.” She arched a brow and he said, “He goes to the college. He's just giving me a ride home.”

“A ride, huh?” she asked dryly. Bay’s face burned and she said, “it's nearly eight. Your shift is over, honey. Go home.”

He dipped his head to her and Nate was instantly on his feet as Bay went back to clock out and grab his hoodie. He shoved his shaking hands in his pockets as he started after Nate.

* * *

Hours later, Deanna looked at the clock on the wall and worried at her lip. It was getting late and Adrien hadn't been back yet.

She grabbed the set of keys to the gym her boyfriend worked at and started for the door. She almost asked Sammi if she could ask Dex to drive her there, but she wanted to walk. It was a twenty minute walk, but the sky was clear. And she had mace.

Like she thought, the gym’s lights were on, the music inside on loud enough she could hear it from where she was. Deanna crossed the street and unlocked the door and slipped inside. After relocking the door, Deanna walked through the large space until she found Adrien punching a bag with bandaged hands, his corded golden brown arms tense.

Before she even made a move towards him, he lowered his arms and turned his head. His broad shoulders rose from heavy breathing, though he was still breathing evenly. “What are you doing here?”

She hesitated. Did he not want her here? She cleared her throat and above the music, she said, “It's almost eleven, Adrien.”

His head snapped to the clock on the brick wall and he winced. He lost track of time, again. He was probably thinking about Jason and the banquet. Adrien turned around and faced her. His tattooed chest glistened in the light. “Sorry.”

“You okay?”

He regarded her for a long heartbeat, nothing flickering on his face as he came up to her and brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Better now that you're here.”

He kissed her.

Deanna curled her fingers around his wrist and kissed him back. He was a full head taller than her, his long black hair hanging damp around his shoulders. She felt his fingers slip up beneath the hem of her shirt as he pulled back. “I need to shower,” he rasped.

She arched a brow. “Don't let me stop you.”

He gave her a worn grin. “Who said I was showering alone?”

* * *

 

Nate sat on his bed with the book he had bought. He hadn't even looked at the title when he got it. Just grabbed the first thing he saw. His phone sat next to him, mocking him. He didn't think Baylor would text him, let alone _call_  him- but he had hope.

The dorm door opened and Nate turned to see Ciel coming into the room, with crinkled clothes. Nate whistled. “Walk of Shame is a good look for you, Havillard.”

Ciel grinned at him, his mismatched eyes bright. “I look even better naked, Verrum. Too bad for you, you'll never get the chance to test that out.”

Nate snorted and rolled onto his back. Ciel went to grab clothes and he said, “I’ll leave you the dorm since you'll probably kick me out so you can be a hoe.”

No, probably not. Though he didn't blame Ciel for coming to the wrong conclusion. Whatever this was between him and Baylor… he didn't want to fuck it up. But he wasn't going to correct his roommate. “I expect details,” Nate yelled, as Ciel walked out the door.

Nate collapsed back on the bed and sighed. It was getting fairly late and he about said 'fuck it’s and went to bed when his phone buzzed. He looked at the screen and perked up at the unfamiliar number.

**HEY.**

Nate bit his lip and responded immediately. **WHO'S THIS**

A minute went by before the person responded. **BAY.**

“ _Yes_ ,” Nate whispered, sitting up. **HEY! WHATS UP**

 **Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are loved XO


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want you to come to the dance tonight,” she said blatantly. “Dress in something nice with your hair down.”
> 
> Nate didn't even blink at the bluntness in her words. Seth was exactly the same way. “And why should I show up?”
> 
> “Because you're my friend and friends do each other favors.”
> 
> Well. That was sound logic. “Does that mean you'll owe me a favor?”
> 
> “Yes. That's how favors work.”
> 
> Nate shrugged and couldn't stop himself from smiling. “Sure. What time?”
> 
> “Nine.”
> 
> “Consider it done.”
> 
> Her entire thoughtful face transformed as she grinned at him. “Thanks. I got to go now. I need to get ready. Bye Nathaniel.”
> 
> Nate laughed. “Bye Aysel.”

Another long moment and Baylor responded: **SORRY IT'S LATE, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE RIDE AND FOR LUNCH.**

Nate smiled. **NO PROB**

 **Notes for the Chapter:**

> heres the second part lol. 
> 
> Comments are loved XO


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